Antonio Bailey
MFA ’26 Photography
For six years I found myself lingering in a state of idealism, believing I was accepted into an honorable community. I joined the Coast Guard to escape the life I knew. It was a chance to rewrite my story by helping others. My oath of service carried a promise for change, a desire for a life that existed in my dreams. I imagined the camaraderie, the laughter, and moments that would define new beginnings. And while sifting through my military experience, those dreams begin to decay, and are replaced with memories of hazing, sexual harassment, and assault. I face the dissonance between the ideals I believed in and the reality I endured.
As I continue to carry the weight of those haunting memories, my self-destructive impulses have materialized into image-making. Each image is constructed with deliberate care and precision through my quiet assertion of control. Drawn from memory and my lived experiences, each image leaves room for familiarity, allowing viewers to find fragments of themselves within my silence.
Whisper Under Your Skin explores the vulnerabilities within masculinity, where tenderness struggles to survive. Through portrait and still life, I examine how trauma distorts perception and slowly erodes hope. This practice allows me to find solace in the uncomfortable aspects of my reality, while confronting my intrusive thoughts. Within this discomfort, I question how masculinity is shaped by suppression, and what remains when our mask begins to soften.
Antonio Bailey(b. 1990) is a Black American photographer and visual artist based in Boston, MA. His work blends storytelling and surrealism to capture the human experience. His photographs, crafted through performance, become expressions of resilience, vulnerability, and identity.
