Between Us, The Gaze:
Ajamu X/ FIERCE: Pittsburgh
Documentary Film
Between Us, The Gaze: Ajamu X / FIERCE: Pittsburgh, directed by Rainbow Serpent co-founders Marques Redd and Mikael Owunna, is a short documentary film and media project created in conjunction with the exhibition FIERCE: Pittsburgh. Centered on the legendary British photographer Ajamu X, the film offers an intimate portrait of Black queer connection, artistic lineage, and the political urgency of being seen.
Through behind-the-scenes moments, sitter reflections, archival images, and philosophical meditations, the film traces how the global FIERCE portrait series arrived in Pittsburgh and why it matters here, now. The title foregrounds the central ethical and erotic question of Ajamu’s practice: what happens between us – between photographer and subject, between one Black queer life and another – when we pause, witness, and record.
"Bekezela Mguni" - FIERCE: Pittsburgh by Ajamu X
"Darian Reynolds" - FIERCE: Pittsburgh by Ajamu X
"Michael Tikili" - FIERCE: Pittsburgh by Ajamu X
"Mo" - FIERCE: Pittsburgh by Ajamu X
The film also includes a glimpse of new work: Redd and Owunna’s collaborative cosmological portrait X (Nu/Apuat/Geb) and Owunna’s portrait Ajamu X. This inclusion honors Ajamu’s influence and extends it, embodying a shared visual language across generations and across the Atlantic.
Moving beyond mere documentation, Between Us, The Gaze is a cinematic offering: an archive, a ritual, and a celebration of those who refuse to be invisible.
"X (Nu/Apuat/Geb)" by Marques Redd and Mikael Owunna
Directed By: Marques Redd & Mikael Owunna
Production and Videography: Rainbow Serpent
Editing and Color: Saltbox Films
Featuring:
Ajamu X
Ajmal 'MAS MAN' Millar
Bekezela Mguni
Darian Reynolds
Devan Shimoyama
Fred Quinn III
Kai Walker
Marques Redd
Michael Tikili
Mikael Owunna
Mikyle Johnson
Mo Marshall
Norman Brown
Rian Louis
Ricky Davii
Special Thanks:
ALMA | LEWIS & Kilolo Luckett
PA Humanities
Silver Eye Center for Photography
The Heinz Endowments
The Opportunity Fund
The Pittsburgh Foundation
Screenings
2026
Pittsburgh, PA: Silver Eye Center for Photography, March 5 -May 2, 2026