ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Abdul R. Sulayman was born in Fort Smith Arkansas in 1949. Like many other black families during that time, he moved north to Wichita Kansas. That's where, as a teenager, Abdul purchased his first camera. Influenced by heroes such as Gordon Parks and W. Eugene Smith with their command of black and white imagery, Abdul began his long journey into photojournalism. He was exposed to local news and television photographers while cleaning studios as a part time job. He was soon able to ride along on breaking news events. Being exposed to "if it bleeds, it leads" stories, Abdul witnessed a lot of negativities. This sparked his need to capture other dimensions of human nature through his own personal lens. Fast forward 30 years working as a wedding/event photographer and 10 years of photojournalism with the Philadelphia Tribune we come to this exhibit that captures "MOMENTS". A personal journey for those who reflect.