NOTES FROM HARLEM is a collection of personal photography, videography, and digital art NFTs captured by Sekou Luke throughout the spring and summer of 2020. These images illuminate Harlem's resilience while experiencing both a global pandemic and the racial justice awakening with the Black Lives Matter movement after the killing of George Floyd (May 25, 2020). The collection has expanded to include two iconic images of the actor Michael K. Williams attending the Malcolm X Day March in Harlem, May 2021, as well as a collaborative work by collage artist Kendrick Daye. Added to the photographic journey are video collaborations (HARLEM PARADE feat. Dnay Baptiste [CJ South and Marq Moss, collaborators], MERLINA feat. Liza Jessie Peterson, THE ALPHA HYMN PROJECT, STILL I RISE feat. Chantal Georges and HOLD FAST TO DREAMS feat Malcolm Merriweather) celebrating the collaborative energy and response to these pandemics. Amidst the devastating impact of two pandemics, this body of work affirms that we are a community standing in defiance, dignity, and reliance.
Sekou Luke is a Harlem-based filmmaker and producer whose creative mediums include over 10 years of directing, filmmaking, photography, acting, and other forms of media & content creation. Sekou Luke is the CEO and founder of Sekou Luke Studio and REBEL Media, whose established creative collaborators include Amazon Prime Video, The Apollo Theater, Harlem Stage, The Billie Holiday Theatre, ROC-United, V-Day, The Schott Foundation, Ford Foundation, Family Values @ Work, Step Afrika, The Creative Jenius Report and PopMatters Magazine.
His film series for Family Values @ Work was used to introduce President Obama at the 2016 White House Summit on Family. His storytelling has taken him global from behind the scenes at Paris Fashion Week to The Oscars to the El Paso Mexico border. He received a Telly Award for his piece "The Time is Now" (feat. Thandie Newton and Chantal Georges). His photography and design has been featured on the book covers for "Behind the Kitchen Door" and "Forked" by Saru Jayaraman.
Focusing on working collaboratively during the pandemic, Sekou has launched REBEL MEDIA, with an emphasis on creating visually rich story content that is transformative, community-building, and generative. This collaborative approach has been the primary creative and/or production engine for the launch of projects such as HARLEM PARADE, UNSCRIPTED: CONVERSATIONS WITH CHRISTIAN JOHN WIKANE, FINDING YOUR BIG: THE MASTERCLASS by Olubode Shawn Brown, and MERLINA. MERLINA, the short film written and performed live by Liza Jesse Peterson and co-produced by Nona Hendryx, was the winner of BEST EXPERIMENTAL SHORT in the NEW YORK INDIE SHORT AWARDS 2021 and has been officially selected for THE HARLEM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2021, MONTREAL INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL 2021 and NEW YORK NO LIMITS FILM SERIES 2021.
In 2022, Sekou released NOTES FROM HARLEM, a collection of photographs taken throughout Harlem during the BLM summer of 2020 and global COVID-19 pandemic. The complete collection which premiered at the Kente Royal Gallery in Harlem for Black History month 2022; speaks to the community's resilience and passion. Noted collectors include Reggie Van Lee and Bevy Smith. Sekou was recently invited to create a series of portraits for the Southampton African American Museum 2022 season opening and Juneteenth commemoration. In November 2022, the National Arts Club dedicated an evening to Sekou and NOTES FROM HARLEM collection. He was also awarded the 2022 Visionary Award from the Uber-sponsored Black Independence Awards.
