Mason Fine Art is kicking off 2025 with an exhibition titled “Affrilachia: Testimonies” featuring the works of Chris Aluka Berry. Berry’s intimate photographs highlight the experiences of people of color in Appalachia.
Growing up in rural South Carolina, artist Chris Aluka Berry is a self-taught photographer inspired by the pine trees and cotton fields that surrounded him as a child. He has developed a love for capturing images that depict the unspoken magic of mundane everyday life.
The term “Affrilachia” originated in 1991 when Kentuckian poet Frank X Walker used it to refer to contributions of African Americans in the sprawling mountains of Appalachia. Having spent six years in western North Carolina, northeast Georgia, and eastern Tennessee, Berry immersed himself in the communities of Black Appalachians. He seeks to highlight the diversity and contributions of these individuals who live in an area that many think of as being a monoculture.
Culturally-rich, the photographic works of Berry allow viewers a unique perspective with which to witness Affrilachian joy, sorrow, reflection, hard work, and recreation. As a contemporary exploration of these communities, Berry’s works offer a complex understanding of the familial and spiritual bonds that have persevered despite the changes happening in the region.
Having grown up in the South, raised by a Black father and a White mother, Berry navigated a complicated journey of self-discovery. Having experienced both interracial and segregated spaces, Berry is now extra sensitive to questions of racial representation and embodies resistance to the erasure of peoples from history.
“I think one of my strong suits as a photographer is the ability to connect with people and build trust. I’m biracial and at one time my family had money and then later we fell into poverty. So I learned how to relate to white folks and Black folks, rich folks and the poor,” Berry explained.
“When I was working on ‘Affrilachia: Testimonies’ I would always start at the local church. The church has historically been a place of refuge for Affrilachians. The church also serves as the local community center in many areas. If I could gain the trust of the clergymen, then I could earn the trust of the parishioners.”
Berry elaborated on his process, saying that he allowed a natural attraction to draw him towards his subjects, and his subjects towards him as well. “It’s a vibe I can feel sometimes,” he said.
“If someone is wary of me or doesn’t want their photos made, I keep it moving. But when someone gives me an open door, I stay as long as I can. Once I build trust with that person then I can build trust with their family and friends. It’s a domino effect of going with the flow and seeing where it takes me.”
For Berry, the love of photography initially came about from an interest in film. He wanted to pursue cinema photography, but at the age of 20 a mentor’s wise words encouraged him to perfect capturing a single still image since films are made of thousands of individual images.
He bought a camera and started taking pictures, eventually landing a gig working as a photographer for a local newspaper. “That is where my real education in visual storytelling began. I fell in love with the power of the still image and never thought again about video work.”
Some narratives by local inhabitants as well as written works by Appalachian writers Kelly Elaine Navies and Maia A. Surdam will accompany the photographs. The poems and essays provide additional historical context to tell the stories of a people who could all too easily go overlooked.
I asked Berry about his favorite photograph from the show, and he told me about one that he captured of 103-year-old Deacon B.C. Mance holding up a handkerchief. Berry told me that at the moment he was joking around, and Mance was giving him grief about taking so many pictures so he waved his handkerchief around in front of his face and Berry snapped a photo.
“His face being obscured by that fabric became a symbol to me of how Black people have lived in Appalachia for hundreds of years, yet so many of their stories, history and contributions were not recorded, honored or respected,” said Berry.
The image inspired him to lean more heavily into symbolism in the framing, obscuring, and capturing of his subjects. “In these photos, the people are archetypes. They represent the ancestors; the stories we will never know.”
Chris Aluka Berry’s works will be on view at Mason Fine Art as of Fri., Jan. 17 during an opening reception that includes works by Charly Palmer and John Wissler.
On Sat., Feb. 1 they will host an artist talk with Berry from 1-3 p.m. and a solo reception for his works from 6-9 p.m. during which there will be a book launch, live music, and a poetry reading by Kelly Elaine Navies, Museum Specialist at Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Berry’s opening reception on Feb. 1 will kick off Mason Fine Art’s Black History Month celebrations.
