For its inaugural exhibition in Paris, Magnum Photos has brought together two chroniclers of Harlem – New York photographer Bruce Davidson and fellow New Yorker and 2020 Magnum nominee member Khalik Allah. Nicolas Smirnoff shares why. He says: “Allah cites Bruce Davidson as one of his major influences and specifically focused his lens on the Black community frequenting the corner of 125th Street and Lexington Avenue. Beginning in 2012, Allah would return to this corner, shooting only at night.”

This corner served as the basis for Allah’s first photography book, Souls Against the Concrete, published by University of Texas Press in 2017. Exploring themes of redemption and resilience amid addiction, poverty and street life, his work is celebrated for its beautifully visceral humanity.

Smirnoff adds: “Allah’s striking work is characterised by a remarkable degree of directness and proximity with his subjects. There is neither judgment nor sentimentalism. These works do not impose any moralist vision; on the contrary, they convey honest empathy and rely on genuine immersion, placing the author on the side of his subjects.

“Allah offers a testimony of his time, places and moments in New York. If the beautiful photographs show the mutations and changes experienced by the city over time, it also attests to the immutability of many things, the city’s energy and, notably, the precarity experienced by communities of the city. Above all, these works are an ode to New York: the quintessential ‘melting pot’, a city in whose history and posterity the grains of possibility are engraved.”

In addition to exhibiting at Magnum Photos’ new space (‘Bruce Davidson and Khalik Allah: New York’ will run until 18 December in Paris), Allah is also currently working on another photo book from 125th and Lexington.

He says: “Having a show with photographer Bruce Davidson is something I never imagined happening, but it’s a huge achievement. I’m currently working on my second photo book. I’m still in the streets shooting. I’m building towards developing new styles, approaches and techniques. I recently did a film project with Solange Knowles and I worked on a music video with Nas. I don’t make too many plans for myself, but I feel like I’m being guided towards realising my vision.”