“I wrote a 10,000-word dissertation this year on the turning point in black expression around the late ‘60s, early ‘70s. This idea of taking ownership of your representation, working inside established frames of reference to create something new. It was about real people taking out cameras and turning them on themselves and being like, ‘this […]
Grace Wales Bonner
“I wrote a 10,000-word dissertation this year on the turning point in black expression around the late ‘60s, early ‘70s. This idea of taking ownership of your representation, working inside established frames of reference to create something new. It was about real people taking out cameras and turning them on themselves and being like, ‘this is me, this is what Africa is—it’s not what you want Africa to be.’
Samuel Fosso is a massive inspiration and was a big starting point because he was a photographer in Lagos in the ‘70s. He had a photo studio and at the end of every roll of film, he’d take a photo of himself in his own clothes—he had such incredible style–and send these photos to his mum. It was this idea of not being a document, but being the person that’s creating the image; confusing people and having layers and not fitting into people’s ideas of things.”
— Grace Wales Bonner
Read the full interview [here]
