Dean Majd's 'Hard Feelings' Exhibition Explores Masculinity and Trauma in New York

Dean Majd's photographic series 'Hard Feelings' is currently on display at Baxter St at the Camera Club of New York, curated by Marley Trigg Stewart, through April 8, 2026. The project began in 2016 following the death of a childhood friend and documents nearly a decade of life within a circle of young men connected through graffiti, skate culture, and New York nightlife. Using point-and-shoot cameras primarily at night, Majd captures moments ranging from intoxicated camaraderie to quiet grief, creating an intimate record of masculinity shaped by trauma, loyalty, and survival. The artist, a Palestinian American who grew up in Queens, started photography at age seven with a camera from his mother. He describes the work as evolving from a personal record into a meditation on masculinity, mythmaking, and healing, inspired by sources including Lorde, Dipset, and filmmakers John Cassavetes and Abel Ferrara. Majd also discusses the ethical complexities of photographing close friends and how the project developed collaborative rules about image circulation. In 2026, Majd is experiencing increased recognition, with his first solo exhibition at Baxter St and inclusion in 'Greater New York' at MoMA PS1 from April 16 to August 17, 2026, where he will show works from his series 'Separation' and 'Birthmark'. He attributes part of this attention to growing interest in Palestinian American artists following events in late 2023, noting his vocal stance on political issues. Majd, who is self-taught and began therapy in 2022, frames the work as addressing cycles of violence and offering a path toward healing, particularly for men of color. The exhibition includes images that confront themes of internalized violence and its impact on women, with one photograph of a woman with a black eye included with her consent and involvement. Majd's community from New York's graffiti, skate, Muslim, and Palestinian circles heavily supported the exhibition opening, reflecting the collaborative nature of the project.