Interview by Tahir "Legacy" Murray

He'll probably brush over photographing A$AP Rocky’s Met Gala afterparty. Maybe the Vogue features too. Yes plural. But what Jalen Turner will ALWAYS speak most proudly about is life, family, God, and art.

I’ve had the privilege of knowing Jalen since 2022, back when he was still a student at Morehouse College. After graduating, he returned to New York to fully pursue his calling as an artist. His eye is instinctive. His taste is intentional. Every project feels soul-made.

I've always told him, “Your work is bigger than Instagram. It belongs in physical spaces.” So, when he released his first print through Christie’s, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious auction houses, (another accomplishment he’d probably brush past) I had to get it myself.

There are people that do what they do because it’s their love. Not for fame, nor recognition but for true love. Jalen is one of those people. He carries a grace and humility that is visible in the work and heard whenever he speaks.

Calling Jalen just a photographer or videographer is too narrow. He’s an artist, a thinker, a student of life. One of the future leaders of our generation whose work will outlive all of us. It’s only a matter of time before the world catches up.

More than anything, he’s a friend, a brother, and a reminder that kindness wins. Patience wins. Grace wins. Love wins. God wins. Every single time.

Here is a glimpse of Jalen Turner’s Heaven on Earth.

T: I selfishly want to start with the Black Man White Tee series because...

 1. It’s one of my favorite series of yours.

2. As you know, I have a print from that series sitting in my crib right now.

Can you expand on the meaning behind that series, and why you felt it was the right first piece of work to sell on Christie’s?

J: First off, bro, I gotta say it’s an honor to have you be the first collector of my work. I don’t even know if you knew that, but that’s the first print I ever sold, so that’s forever gonna be a special one. And for you to have it really means a lot. I’m genuinely grateful for that.

Below: From the series "Black Man White Tee" by Jalen Turner

The whole idea behind Black Man White Tee is that the white tee is such a staple in the Black community, specifically for Black men. I feel like it’s the foundation of most outfits, you know? But with that white tee also comes a certain perception from the public, depending the circumstance, sometimes negative, sometimes positive. When you really think about the white tee shirt as a whole and what it represents, it’s a foundational piece, a foundational layer to composition. And within that foundation, people have the option to villainize or celebrate it. I wanted to explore that idea of the power we give cloth. I hoped to translate that through the poses as well.

The people in the photos are my brothers I went to school with and that was super important to me given we explore perception together and not alone.

As far as bringing it to auction, it’s a piece I felt really strong about in its function to convey thought.

In the midst of all these conversations around what gets classified as art, I wanted to make my direction and perspective clear. My people are art.

T: Whether it’s a photo of Slick Rick at a Met Gala afterparty, a brand campaign, or an intimate shoot in someone’s home, your work always carries a sense of closeness and honesty. There’s an integrity within your work that feels undeniable, and I have to give flowers where flowers are due.

Below: Slick Rick at A$AP Rocky’s Met Gala After Party (2025) by Jalen Turner

I know the pride doesn’t necessarily come from the name attached to the photo or the space it was taken in, but from the art itself. No matter who the subject is or where the image is made, there’s still something distinctly you within it.

So my question is: What makes Jalen Turner’s art unmistakably Jalen Turner’s art?

J: I feel like it’s the people who made Jalen Turner who make Jalen Turner’s art unmistakably Jalen Turner. All of the powerful black women in my life especially.

The high regard I hold for the village of my ancestors, my elders, my parents, my siblings, my friends … all of that. I think of my people when creating. Thats how I feel.

I describe my work as the ideas of what heaven could look like in my head. That’s really a combination of all the people I’ve ever known and loved.

Below: Jalen's grandmother (left) and mother (right).

A lot of this life, a lot of these experiences, they’ve felt like these pockets of heaven.

My friend Grant has a song called “Portable Heaven” on his new album, and that’s exactly what it feels like: these portable heavens that I’ve carried with me mentally and artistically while making images has grounded me. What I make is a reflection of my community truly.

Below: Anu, by Jalen Turner

T: You once said your goal is to make viewers feel like numbness is the most dangerous state to live in. What did you mean by that?

J: There’s this song by Earl Sweatshirt and Armand Hammer called Tabula Rasa and the opening line is, “off the strength I’m not as numb as I thought.” That line always stuck with me, bro.

In my life, some of my lowest moments were when there was an absence of feeling. That’s why “not as numb as I thought” holds so much power to me. There are things we encounter like art, music, people, etc that remind us we’re not as numb as we think we are, or even try to be.

That’s why I say numbness is the most dangerous state to live in. Without feelings and emotion, we lose what makes us alive. So when you feel yourself going numb, it’s important to fight back against it.

Hopefully my work, and what I put into the world, can make people feel something.love, happiness, even curiosity because emotion is what drives us. Feeling itself is life.

Below: The Optimist, by Jalen Turner

T: You were born in New York, moved to Texas, went to Morehouse College in Atlanta, and now you’re back in New York preparing for your first solo show. How have those different places shaped the way you see people and tell stories visually?

J: Man, I’m super grateful to have experienced life in so many places especially areas as diverse as Houston, Atlanta, and New York. I feel like each of those places shaped my journey as an artist.

Coming back to New York from Houston as an adult gave me such rich perspective on how we value landscape, and it really opened my mind and expanded the way I see things communally.

I feel like I’ve seen both sides of the spectrum, if that makes sense, and because of that I’m able to view life through a wider lens. As different as those places are, they still house foundational parts of life that connect us no matter where we are. That’s across the state, the country, or the world. I think geography has informed my love for color as well.

Below: Jalen and his mother, Morehouse College Graduation 2024

T: I want to hear more on your upbringing and the places you’ve lived…

A lot of artists talk about creating with their inner child in mind. What parts of your childhood do you still honor in your creative process today?

J: As a child, my understanding of community really came through basketball from my father. He coached our YMCA team, and we had people from all walks of life playing—different parts of the city, different states, everywhere. But we all came together with the same goal, and everybody took pride in their role because we knew we were helping each other achieve something bigger. Where we came from didn’t matter.

That stayed with me as I got older. In Houston, I locked arms with people from New Orleans. In Atlanta, I met Wally and locked arms with Detroit. And now in New York, most of my closest homies and teammates are from the DMV. We all come from different places and experiences, but we share the same passion and drive toward where we want to take this thing of ours. That sense of community is something I carry into my artistic process today.

Below: Vic in Texas, by Jalen Turner

Basketball especially shaped the way I see art and life. Subscribing to the “ball is life” movement young helped me translate the things I love into the work I do now. So when I’m taking pictures, I’m not just making images, I’m playing basketball. Me and my homie Dave talk through basketball terminology in everyday life. Sometimes you’re at the free throw line, sometimes you can’t foul the three-point shooter, sometimes you should’ve passed the rock.

Realizing those intersections between life, sports, and art has deeply informed my artistic practice. It’s what keeps me eager to explore different mediums and find ways to combine them.

T: Community is everything. We talk about that all the time.

One thing I really admire about you and your friends is the support system you all have built. I’ve watched y’all grow from student creatives in the AUC into young professionals in your respective cities, still collaborating, still showing up for one another, and still remaining deeply connected.

What has it taken to maintain that kind of community and intentionality after college?

J: Man, I think the biggest part of community is transparency and understanding what brings people together in the first place. What’s the center of the congregation? Why are we a community, and what are we coming together for?

Once I figured that out, the next step for me was understanding and accepting that the price of community is “inconvenience”. 

In my life, I’ve been blessed to have brothers I can dream with, people I can talk to about hopes, goals, and plans to get there.Those people are always with me and I  don’t take them for granted. 

It’s funny cause I met Dave and Winston at Morehouse but we didn’t become real brothers until we reconnected in NY. I’ve got friends in different lanes and mediums, but the passion is always the same and when that shared passion is consistent, building community comes naturally. ESPECIALLY when all parties understand the sacrifice of time and convenience.

T: One thing about you, you are known for a DEEP cut attached to the hip. What’s the latest song/artist and movie rec.

J: Mannnnnnn where do I start...

Music Wise

Intimations by Miles Ave

On Everything I love by KJADE

EVERHAD by NIK!

We Need You Right Now - Live by Donny Hathaway

Readymade by GENA really Anything Liv.e

Visual Media

No Such Thing by Nailoh (Music Video)

Hoop Dreams the documentary

I am Cuba (1964)

House Party! (1983) Thesis version

Alice Coltrane Black Journal (1970)

T: Last but not least…What truths about yourself have you arrived at?

J: I create my best work when I’m in love. 

I can do anything I put my mind too. 

I love being on aux when God is driving.

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If you are in New York, Jalen will be displaying his work at his first SOLO art gallery viewing at LOUDER studios. There will be an open bar and sounds by JKC Radio and Revel da Vinci.

The installation will be on view from May 22nd to May 30th and you can click here  to RSVP for the event.

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