In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, who died at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, many people have translated emotions and conversations about racial injustices in the US into works of art — from murals and music to digital illustrations.
One of many artists to use their talents to add to the Black Lives Matter discourse is New York-based photographer Peter DeVito, whose signature style of portraiture features physical words on models' faces as a storytelling mechanism.
DeVito's technique often relates to a larger story or issue, or helps relay a universal meaning he hopes to convey in his art.
For example, he's implored the effects in a photo collection about embracing acne and different skin types, and a series where he shed light on incidents of discrimination toward the Asian community.
DeVito is now capturing photos as part of a new series called "Black Voices Matter," and he's doing it all over FaceTime.
"I was inspired to do this project because I wanted to create something that helped amplify Black voices," DeVito told Insider.
Because in-person photo shoots are not an option in light of coronavirus-related restrictions on gatherings and travel, DeVito did some experimenting with friends and found that he could effectively photograph people over a video call.
The photographer starts by inviting models of color — many of whom he's worked with before on previous projects — to a 10- to 15-minute FaceTime call. On the video call, DeVito asks the models to stand "near whatever windows they have in their house" to make for optimal natural lighting conditions.
"You can't control a lot of factors over FaceTime, so at first it felt very limiting, but I have realized that being limited forces you to get more creative," DeVito said, adding that he used photo-editing software instead of actual stickers to create the phrases that appear on the models' faces for this photo shoot.
The tiny letters that DeVito adds to the models' photographed faces are not purely for aesthetic purposes; they are smaller phrases from personal journal entries written by each model about their stories and experiences as Black Americans.
"We should all be listening to what Black people are saying and thinking and sharing their thoughts. Their opinions matter the most because they are the ones being affected," DeVito said.
Keep reading to see a selection of the powerful portraits.