Renee Royale in her Evanston, Illinois, studio with works from her “Landscape of Matter” series.
Photo: RENEE ROYALE
Next Big Thing: Renee Royale
The multitalented photographer's impactful work captures the ecological and human impact on the earth's landscape
Splitting her time between Chicago and New Orleans, Renee Royale has honed a singular photographic style. Using instant film, she captures the ecological and human impact on the landscape where the Mississippi River flows into the Gulf of Mexico. By immersing the images in dirt and water, she places them at the mercy of environmental conditions. For another series, she pressed Polaroids against stone surfaces. “I consider myself a conceptual and process-oriented artist,” says Royale. “I’m thinking about Black ecologies, belonging, inheritance, and deep time.”
“Renee’s work is impactful to me as I believe she is melding conceptual thoughts within a rigorous materials practice. The results are aesthetic images that ask questions.”
Brendan Fernandes, artist
Renee Royale, Private Landing Near Marina, 2023. Photo: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
Renee Royale, Dredging I (Industrial Canal), 2023. Photo: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
Curatorial focus: “I started curating shows as an artist who was making good work but wasn’t getting a fair level of visibility because I didn’t have a degree and the connections that came with that,” explains Royale, who is now pursuing an MFA in art, theory, and practice at Northwestern University. “I don’t have a desire to be a curator in a museum, but I do have a knack for creating these holding spaces for expression beyond my own.” In 2016, she founded Support Black Art, an equitable platform for up-and-coming Black talents on Instagram.
Up next: In a major milestone, Royale was selected for “New Photography 2025: Lines of Belonging” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Opening in September, the 40th anniversary edition of the prestigious exhibition brings together 13 international artists who are expanding the horizons of the medium in the 21st century.
Renee Royale, Loyola Beach 6.10.23.02 (Rituals of Belonging), 2024. Photo: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
Renee Royale, Bohemia, 2023. Photo: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2024 Winter Issue under the headline “Next Big Things.” Subscribe to the magazine.
Cover: Renee Royale in her Evanston, Illinois, studio with works from her “Landscape of Matter” series.
Photo: RENEE ROYALE
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