Lawrence Agyei: A Male Muse Perspective

Co-Written with Asha Abdul

Lawrence Agyei is yet another welcome voice in our pool of African-born Muses with footprints from Italy to his present home in Chicago’s Southside. Featuring his natural blend of fine art and commercial photographic practice, Agyei has been featured in The Fader, Apple, VSCO, and The New Yorker with work self-described as vibrant bold, cool and subtle in texture—texture often driven by the natural grains unearthed through Agyei's use of film. Through the use of an analog medium, Ageyei writes, “[my subject’s] voices will never go unnoticed nor will they be forgotten.”

Agyei’s work often features either solitary or coupled photos of women and men either intense and introspective in their solitude or embraced or loved in their pairings. Each photo speaks to a central force or power and strength drawn from the natural world/plant life, shadow, facial obstruction and a rooted gaze that sees both within and beyond the camera.

There are artistic callbacks to the work of legends Barkley L. Hendricks and Gordon Parks where Agyei delicately re-creates some of their most famed works, or takes and applies aesthetic cues. During his time as our Muse, we featured both commercial and personal portrait projects centering femininity from the strength of the godmother to sisterhood and material glory.

During an interview with the Chicago Reader, Ageyi was asked to share his most notable lessons through the years:

• Stay consistent.

• Learn from the greats.

• Find your own lane.

• Have fun.

To learn more about CRWN Muse Lawrence Agyei you can find him on his site at www.lawrenceagyei.com or on Instagram here.