Cleon Grey’s first book ‘Sheren’ is a journey of many kinds. A journey on the road – from his home in the South Bronx to the West Coast, and back again. A journey of the heart – from lost loves to a new, all-consuming relationship. A journey of the mind – to find fulfilment in his career as a design director, writer and photographer. And ultimately a journey of the soul that leads back to family – Sheren, meaning Sharing, is Grey’s mother’s name.

“What began as an escape from life, led to a life changing trip that set in motion the intimate journey that this book presents,” the Jamaican-born creative says. “Sheren is a search for what’s real. It’s about the things that I have had to reveal and heal about myself in order to live and love again. Named after my mother, Sheren at its core is a conversation between her and I. It’s the conversations that we’ve never had, and the ones that we still don’t.”

The self-published work, two years in the making, is a collaboration between Grey and photographic artist Adrienne Raquel. The vivid tome is alive with rich, sultry images of Grey and his partner sharing moments of reflection in cities and landscapes as diverse as New Mexico, Death Valley and Las Vegas. These are interspersed with introspective texts and poems, sometimes tender, sometimes raw, that delve into everything from the New York hustle and notions of success to female sexual empowerment and black masculinity in America. All put together, Sheren proves that it’s not the destination that matters, it’s the women who get you there.

Buy Sheren here.

Writing, design and photography Cleon Grey
Contributing artist Adrienne Raquel

Published on 17/09/2020