Yesterday's Shopping. Photo: Sackitey Tesa. Courtesy of the artist.
“I want to use the medium of photography to fight the notion that creativity resides only in the West,” says Ghanian photographer Sackitey Tesa Mate-Kodjo. Throughout history, Western prejudices have oriented the way that Black bodies are portrayed, often heavily influenced by the history of slavery and colonisation. A new generation of creatives, including photographers such as Sackitey and Yannis Davy, and fashion designers Nicolas Guichard and Marvin Desroc are challenging these stereotypes. Through their imagery and clothes, these visionaries—from the African continent and its diaspora—are reaching into their personal histories to accurately represent their realities and experience .
One such creative who harnesses his heritage as an endless source of knowledge is London-based fashion designer Cameron Williams. “When it comes to the representation of Black bodies, I aim to execute this through the conceptual lens of African concepts that have shaped societies for thousands of years,” the Central Saint Martins grad tells SLEEK. “I play with the combination of elongated silhouettes and the frugal functionality of tribal wrapping styles to redefine a sense of Black masculinity and femininity.” According to the designer, his vision is opposed to how the Black body is frequently employed as a “prop” for visual effect. “I always grew up with images of Black bodies that were very sexualised now that I think about it. There is indeed nothing wrong with sexuality, but with my clothes I like to express it through the idea of teasing … I want to show that we’re not just one-dimensional, while celebrating our bodies [at the same time].” Williams, who recently founded his own label Nuba (itself a reclamation of a “derogatory name, given to generalise the Nilotic tribes of the Nuba Mountains of Sudan by Arab traders and settlers throughout history,” he has said) is embracing the need to change misconceptions around African cultures. “To redefine our perspectives on Western fashion’s representation of Black identities, it’s important that we educate ourselves on the concepts and customs of African cultures as we should with every culture different to our own.”
"It’s basically my way of reclaiming spaces for Black bodies.”
Research is a crucial part of Paris-based designer Nicolas Guichard’s work. Guichard, who is from Réunion, an island and overseas department of France in the Indian Ocean, researched archives of traditional dancehall parties in his homeland as well as in Jamaica, Guadeloupe and smaller Caribbean islands for his SS20 collection, POOL PARTY STONE LOVE. “I translated this energy and exuberance into my work and wanted the collection to be a celebration of this influential subculture movement combined with how women dressed at these parties in the ‘80s/’90s/’00s, looking sexy yet not vulgarly so,” he explains . His collection shines a light on his experiences growing up in Réunion—“ I was surrounded by women of multi-ethnicities who embraced their bodies,” he says
Clothes are not the only means through which representations can be challenged— decor and surroundings can also be employed, often as a means of celebration. Gabonese photographer Yannis Davy believes that surroundings are important because they can reveal details about the specific story he is interested in telling. “Black people can and have existed in all types of environments and settings so this diversity of experiences is something I always try to keep in mind and honour in my work by telling diverse and nuanced stories.” The Montreal-based image-maker underlines the biased processes that tend to dehumanise Black bodies in the media and across the cultural landscape. This—as a result of centuries of aggressive anti-Black politics—has led to an inaccurate image of Blackness. “As a photographer, I try to actively work against these ideas by highlighting the beauty and power that I know through portraiture, while still actively trying to unlearn all the ways in which I have internalised some of that misrepresentation myself.”
Gender, too, becomes a way in which to pick apart a mainstream representation of Black bodies that pivots around hyper-sexualisation and brutality. Genderless and sustainable Nigerian fashion label BLOKE by Faith Oluwajimi works in a zone free of gender-norms. “I believe garments should and must assume that level of freedom as well and only be left to the wearer to discern what resonates with their taste and personality,” Oluwajimi explains. “Additionally, the consistent presence of Black bodies in my work is solely for the purpose of showing and celebrating the various range of beauty present in Black people, which mostly is not explored explicitly from a Western gaze. It’s basically my way of reclaiming spaces for Black bodies.”
Black masculinity has a stereotype all of its own within and beyond the community. Frequently portrayed as strong and virile, its representation is limited to physical abilities, rather than those that are emotional or intellectual. Hence, why French fashion designer Marvin Desroc wants to bring awareness on this matter through his ‘lingerie designs’. “It always goes back to the saying ‘boys don’t cry’ for me, which we know in [the Black] community is even more emphasised. In my world, boys cry! Vulnerability is strength,” explains Desroc. “That image of a strong Black male figure is both present in the Western world and in our own … therefore, I know it’ll take time for people to swallow my pill. I want to dismantle that as I believe that if we were more vulnerable about our issues, we could start to heal.” Similarly, Sackitey who is from Accra, Ghana, excavates his own environment to overcome these illusions. “I wanted to use both the medium of photography and styling to fight the notion that creativity resides only in the West and to document Black bodies as a young man growing up in Accra,” he tells SLEEK.
By narrating their experiences, these black creatives do not seek to justify the relevance of their culture to a Western audience, but instead they strive to bring awareness to its depth and meaning. Nigerian designer Abiola Olusola underlines this in her creations, which she hopes will have a positive impact on young Black women in particular. “There is beauty and luxury in Africa—we don’t need to prove it. What really matters to me is that Black and African women (young ones especially) see themselves through a different lens that is not shaped by Western standards and its definitions of luxury and beauty.”