Student Photographer Tackles Race Issues in Fashion Photography Exhibit
October 9, 2009
Tyra Banks’ popular yet catty reality show America’s Next Top Model has inspired millions of young women to pursue careers in the glare of the camera. For Penn State junior Shikeith Cathey, the program has inspired in a different way—one that takes him behind the ubiquitous lens.
Cathey is an aspiring fashion photographer whose work will be on display in the Paul Robeson Cultural Center throughout the fall 2009 semester. The exhibit, Ode to Black, features his high fashion reinterpretations of images of African American slaves in the 18th century. “The images reflect my current feelings on many modern issues that are in conflict in the current mind state of the African American,” says Cathey, who is majoring in art with a focus on photography.
As a high school student in Philadelphia, Cathey’s career goal was to help people look and feel beautiful. He toyed with the idea of becoming a cosmetic plastic surgeon, but then fashion programming, including America’s Next Top Model, sparked his interest in fashion photography—and retouching. “Retouching is really like digital plastic surgery,” he notes.
During summer 2009, Cathey interned in the fashion division of IMG World, a global sports, entertainment and media company and the world’s largest producer of fashion events. “It was a fantastic experience to be thrown into rooms with people I’d idolized for multiple years at that point. I got to experience what it was like to be on fashion shoots with the legends of fashion photography, such as Steven Meisel, and run errands for the likes of Shakira, who is an international pop icon.”
Cathey, who is creative director of the Penn State student-published magazine Valley, says he is inspired by different time periods, international cultures and even his own insecurities. “When I was growing up I was extremely shy, so much so that I would walk with my head down to avoid eye contact with other people,” he explains. “Working in art is such a public display of self expression. Because it is a representation of me, I tend to want to shield or guard it, but I can’t. These feelings have led to the development of my signature pose—a model looking directly into the camera with a veil covering her face for added security. That veil is something I wish I had during that time when I was really shy.”
As he nears the end of his Penn State career, Cathey has far-reaching aspirations. “I want to become a mogul in the world of fashion and the arts. To be able to leave my imprint in the fashion advertising, editorial, creative direction and corporate world is my ultimate goal.”
Contact: Amy Milgrub Marshall, alm157@psu.edu or 814.863.2104