Dawoud Bey: Syracuse 1985

Exhibition Date

September 9 - November 28, 2025

Reception Time

Wednesday, September 17, 2025
6:00PM - 8:00PM

Represented Artist

Stephen Daiter Gallery is pleased to present Dawoud Bey: Syracuse 1985, on view through November 28th. Following his early success with Harlem, U.S.A., Dawoud Bey was invited to participate in his first-ever artist residency in 1985 at Light Work in Syracuse, New York. This one-month residency provided Bey with a place to live and work without interruption—a rarity for a young artist. He spent his days walking the city streets, photographing from sunup to sundown. In just a short time, Bey produced an astonishing body of work, capturing moments of light as it blanketed commuters, waiting patiently for the bus, hustling to work or school, or resting in a café.

“The month spent in residence at Light Work has me taken back into the street again—in search of that ever-elusive moment when life coalesces into a cogent visual statement. The resulting photographs mark a new level of seeing for me.”

On view at the gallery will be the original twenty-six prints Bey produced during his Light Work residency, along with several other early prints of Syracuse, in September 1985.

An illustrated catalog, Dawoud Bey: Syracuse 1985, will be available for purchase.

It is offered as a unique set of vintage prints, accompanied by five additional early prints and a group of modern prints that complete the series. Price upon request.

Additionally, individual modern prints of any image are available for purchase in an edition of 10 (20 x 24 in.), starting at $10,000.