American photographer and writer Jade Rodgers lives and works in New York. Rodgers creates work about the Black experience in contemporary time. Her work creates space for Black artists to express themselves and create outside of the white gaze. Rodgers was born in Suitland, Maryland but grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia. It was here where she developed a passion for photography and a love for community. This love of and for community is evident in much of Rodgers' work.
The series Lagoon: Too far from home illustrates an Afro-Futuristic narrative starring characters from Rodgers' currently in progress book. The story is a combination of writing and photography that influence one another. Rodgers uses an Afro-Futuristic lens to envision shattering cycles of the past. Lagoon: Too far from home explores the experience of its main character named Moonchild who escapes from the planet Zontari. Moonchild wants to search for their home planet and find connection to the homeland of their ancestors. The viewer sees Moonchild led down a route by others that was not what Moonchild had intended at the beginning of their journey.
Through the use of colorful lights, costumes, hair and makeup Rodgers' creates this narrative by borrowing historical references that illustrate the oppression of Black bodies in contemporary society. "Finding ways to accept and move past familial histories and traumas. Lagoon: too far from home allows me to see history from a different perspective, and this imagery also promotes the idea that Black people can and will 'exist in the future." Rodgers' has also created miniature sets of the landscapes in which the story takes place. Rodger's narrative is heavily influenced by both historical and current events. Themes of liberation and self acceptance guide the viewer to consider the complexities of the Black experience through the past, the present and the future.
Rodgers is currently a 2022 BFA candidate at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. While attending school she works as a writer for Kulture Hub and a freelance photographer. Her work has been featured in galleries and publications such as Houston Center for Photography in Houston Texas, Solarium Gallery in Geneva NY, Cumulus Photo, Der Greif and Copper Magazine. Her work can be found on her website and on Instagram.