Michael K Jess is a media creative who has applied his skills to print journalism, BBC television, magazine art direction, independent documentary filmmaking and photography.
The thrust of his oeuvre has been the honest and humane representation of the black diaspora and Africa, in ways that delight, embrace and challenge perceptions.
His photography career began with the Photo Co-op (now Photofusion) in 1987 and he is a founding member of long-established Autograph who use photography to champion race and human rights.
In 1991 he went on his first trip to Ghana for five weeks. He has returned many times and produced the long-term photo study Portraits and Pilgrimage in 2020.
His formal entre into the mass media began in 1990 at The Voice newspaper. He went on to the BBC as an assistant producer working on various documentaries. Channel 4 television followed and in 1997 his diligence led to a one off 30-minute special on the tragic killing of Orville Blackwood in Broadmoor hospital.
In 2001 he was appointed Deputy Editor and Art Director of the pioneering highbrow magazine the Black Media Journal.
He presently teaches photography on University of the Arts London (UAL) accredited courses and is the founder of Re/Frame photographers. They will be hosting their first exhibition at the Photo Book Cafe in October 2023.
Fun fact: Michael shares the same birthday as Bob Marley, February 6th.
