New Gordon Parks NYC Exhibit Decodes The Eye Of A Genius [RECAP]

Think of a memorable photo from the civil rights era. There’s a good chance that it was taken by renowned photographer Gordon Parks, or at the very least his vault includes a version of it with equal significance. Whether he was constructing photo essays for LIFE Magazine or capturing the raw and honest way of living for African Americans at the peak of segregation, Parks maintained an integrity in his work that eventually made him a cultural icon.

Two decades after his death in 2006 at the age of 93, many of his greatest images are being revisited with anecdotes from both living subjects and the families of those no longer around in a new exhibition on display at the Jack Shainman Gallery in New York City.

RELATED: Little Known Black History Fact: Gordon Parks

With Voices In The Mirror, you truly get to view Parks from a whole new perspective. It’s one thing to let your mind escape into what he might’ve been thinking or feeling in the moment, but there’s a great revelation in understanding how those same images impacted the world around him. Many are familiar with the 1970 portrait he took of Black Panther Party leader Eldridge Cleaver and his wife, Kathleen (seen below), an image that evokes strength, pride, unity and Black regality. However, it bears new meaning when paired next to a quote from Kathleen herself, who went on to become a law professor before retiring in 2020. “Gordon came to our apartment right on the edge of the Mediterranean, and we’re sitting in a leather chair, and he took this photograph, which is historic and amazing,” reads her anecdote, which goes on to add, “If you saw where we lived, it was not that historic and amazing. That’s the joy of photography—you isolate what’s important.”

There’s a similar sentiment in viewing his classic shots of boxing legend Muhammad Ali (seen above). Even in black and white, there’s a vulnerability in the depth of field Ali allows Parks to capture him in that makes you feel closer to both parties involved. Lonnie Ali, his surviving wife who was in attendance for the opening reception last Friday (September 18), put it perfectly in a passage she wrote that in part states, “They accomplished so much during their lifetimes, transcended barriers, expanded what was possible, and moved this country closer to the promise it has always made but struggled to keep. And though they are no longer with us, they remain profoundly relevant, inspiring us and generations of change makers still to come. They passed the torch, and they passed it fully lit.”

In addition to Kathleen Cleaver and Lonnie Ali, the exhibit includes written reflections from the likes of Kate Clark Harris, Kyle Johnson, Cora Taylor, Qubilah Shabazz, Anderson Cooper, Isabella Rossellini. Ava DuVernay, Bryan Stevenson, Alice Walker, Rebecca Walker, Thelma Golden, Deborah Willis, Hank Willis Thomas and Ambassador Andrew Young. Each fall into the category of either being direct subjects of his work, descendants of those subjects or individuals who’ve simply taken up the task of keeping his memory alive.

Gordon Parks: Voices in the Mirror is currently on view at NYC’s Jack Shainman Gallery on 46 Lafayette Street, running from September 18 to November 6, 2026. Take a look below at a few standouts from the exhibit:

Norman Fontenelle, Sr., Harlem, New York, 1967