This resource was created by Daniel Mebarek as part of PGB’s Travelers Residency Program.

“Look Straight at the Camera”: Identity and Identification in Photography

This visual map is an invitation to think about the nexus between photography, identity and identification. Since the invention of the “mug shot” by French criminologist Alphonse Bertillon in the late 19th century, photography has been used to identity and classify individuals. Today, this biometric use of photographs is present most prominently in AI facial recognition systems. 

Highlighting quotes, news articles, academic sources, photographs and artworks, the visual map provides an interactive approach to considering how photography, and particularly identity photos, have been used in the context of oppression as well as resistance.