Collected Item: “Mama Phife”
Your Name
Kenny Shiloh Russell
Your Pronouns
They/Them
Instagram handle, if any
@kennyshilohrussell
Work Title
Mama Phife
Work Year (We are not accepting images older than 5 years)
2025
[Image Rights] Do you confirm that you hold the rights to this image?
Yes
[Eligibility] The Curve Photo Contest proudly centers and uplifts people who identify as lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer women and nonbinary people. Please share how you self-identify, using language that feels most accurate to you. Feel free to include all intersections of your identity. (Examples: lesbian, trans person of color, Latinx queer woman, radical faery, butch, etc.)
Black transmasculine lesbian
[Artist Statement] Tell us more about your photo by sharing a brief artist statement OR answering this prompt: "This is what being ______ means to me..." (Max. 100 words)
Kenny Shiloh Russell (they/them) is a Panamanian-Jamaican visual artist and transmasculine lesbian based in Brooklyn, NY. Specializing in photography, their work is informed by their connection to land and to Black diasporic culture.
Russell creates images with preservation at the forefront of their mind: preservation of culture, of community, and of self. They portray nostalgia and warmth with an observant, tender eye; with the intention of paying homage to the love and power that exists within Black, Latine, and Queer communities.
Russell creates images with preservation at the forefront of their mind: preservation of culture, of community, and of self. They portray nostalgia and warmth with an observant, tender eye; with the intention of paying homage to the love and power that exists within Black, Latine, and Queer communities.
[Visual Description] Describe your photo so we can provide alt-text. Example: "Two women holding hands and smiling as they walk in a pride parade, surrounded by rainbow flags."
Cheryl Boyce Taylor sitting on stage at the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival, holding a bouquet of flowers.
[Agreement] In the event that you win the 2026 Curve Photo Contest, do you consent to having your photograph printed for the sole purpose of displaying at The Curve Foundation's one-day event at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (San Francisco, CA) during Lesbian Visibility Week? The Curve Foundation will cover printing costs, but will not cover costs for mailing the print after the event ends.
Yes
[Agreement] Do you consent to The Curve Foundation storing, sharing, and using this image and its description as we deem appropriate, including disseminating on our social media, website, and Curve Archive and Curve Quarterly?
Yes
[Agreement] By checking 'I understand' below, I acknowledge that this contest upholds values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and I confirm that my submission does not contain anti-LGBTQ+ or other discriminatory, hateful, or exclusionary content.
I understand