about iya:
he/him
b. 1999
iya symone is a lens-based artist arriving in his adopted home town of Baltimore, Maryland by way of Little Rock, Arkansas. his process embraces personal investment between sitter to shooter while embodying mutual synergy, integrity, authenticity and the ceremony of photography. symone’s intimate, colorful portraiture is hand and heart tailored to those he is in relationship with over time. when paired with narrative writing and documentary works, these portraits provide a glimpse into the love, care & story of Black people in the American South and beyond. he is the author of each world a page and maintains a semi-quarterly newsletter which explores themes of Blackness, wellness, masculinity and queerness.
“nothing i accept about myself can be used against me to diminish me. i am who i am, doing what i came to do, acting upon you like a drug or a chisel to remind you of your me-ness, as i discover you in myself.”
- audre lorde