Ten.8 afterimage Symposium

The Ten.8 afterimage symposium brings together artists, curators, writers and researchers to reflect on the enduring legacy of the photography journal Ten.8 (1978 -1992) and address  relevant questions around photography, representation, identity and cultural production. Across the day, we  will consider how photographic and wider visual practices have shaped ways of seeing, remembering and representing communities across generations between the 1980s and today.

Across two panel discussions, invited speakers will explore  the meanings and afterlives of images, considering how photographs circulate, how they are read, and how they acquire new significance over time in relation to race, gender, sexuality and culture. The discussions will reflect on traditions of self-representation and collective image-making, examining more widely how Black and diasporic communities have created spaces for visibility, authorship and cultural expression through photography, print culture and contemporary artistic practice.

Symposium Schedule: 

The symposium will include a guided tour of the exhibition Ten.8 afterimage led by curator Pelumi Odubanjo followed by two panel discussions with a break in between for lunch. The schedule is as follows: 

11 – 11:45 AM – Exhibition tour with Pelumi Odubanjo

12 PM – Introduction 

12:15 – 1:15 PM – Panel 1: Reading Black Images: from Ten.8 to the present

How do we define ‘black images’ today? And how are these images read, circulated, and understood across different historical moments? Bringing together artists, curators, and writers, this panel reflects on the shifting meanings of Black photographic representation from the period of Ten.8 to the present day. Through conversations around archives, intimacy, spectatorship, and contemporary image cultures, the discussion considers how Black visual practices continue to shape ways of seeing, remembering, and relating.

Speakers: Ian Sergeant and Ajamu X
Moderator: David A Bailey

1:15 – 2:15 PM – Break for lunch 

2:15 – 3:30 PM – Panel 2: Survival and self-representation: from the 1980s to today

Bringing together artists and researchers across generations, this panel explores questions of self-representation and image-making from the 1980s to the present. Taking inspiration from Survival Magazine and wider photographic practices connected to Ten.8, the conversation considers how primarily Black women and diasporic communities have produced spaces for visibility, authorship, and collective expression across print, photography, and contemporary artistic practice.

Speakers: Roshini Kempadoo, Joy Gregory and Ayesha Jones
Moderator: Pelumi Odubanjo

3:30 – 3:44 PM – Closing remarks 

4 PM – Event ends