Cultured magazine profiles Chris Cook, a 33-year-old New York photographer nominated by Ming Smith. Cook describes himself as a "native tourist" of New York, chronicling urban life through photography. His book documenting the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests has been acquired by major institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale University, the British Library, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Cook cites influences such as Jamel Shabazz, Roy DeCarava, Ming Smith, Kerry James Marshall, Gary Simmons, and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
This profile matters because it highlights a rising young artist whose work addresses pressing questions about memory, erasure, and Black life in America. Cook's institutional acquisitions at a relatively early career stage signal growing recognition of his photographic practice. His stated mission—to center Black life beyond struggle, capturing softness, pride, humor, style, and love—reflects a broader shift in contemporary photography toward nuanced, humanizing representations of marginalized communities.