Instagram Takeover – Melissa Alcena

Melissa Alcena is a Bahamian portrait and documentary photographer based in Nassau, Bahamas. In 2012, she completed an Applied Photography course at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Alcena moved back to The Bahamas in 2016, where she became inspired to take portraits of working class and marginalised Bahamians in their environments. Her work focusses on shifting the paradise narrative of the Caribbean, by directly engaging with the people of The Bahamas in the everyday, and revealing the humanity of its citizens.

Alenca has exhibited her work since 2017, and has been featured by GQ, WePresent, Zeit, i-D, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and The Cut, amongst many others.

Melissa Alcena will be taking over @paperjournalmag from today until 15 March. You can follow her @melalcena and see more of her work at www.melissaalcena.com.