VULNERABILITY
Growing up, whenever I would cry or show too much emotion, my father told me toughen up and not look like a ‘sissy’. Talking to my friends, I realised that this is something that repeats itself in a lot of black and African households.
I made a series that embraces vulnerability, and shows the beauty and confidence in showing your emotions. I have a lot of faith in this next generation to applaud young boys and men to show their true feelings, and wanted to contribute to this shift in mentality with these pictures. Not being able to communicate how you feel without receiving judgment often makes you feel isolated and lonely. I wanted to communicate this feeling by using a dark blue setting and low exposure, creating a heavy and somber look. When publishing this series, I included a screenshot of my father’s reaction to the pictures, without having given him any context on the concept of the series. His reaction validated the importance of this series to me, because I want to use my influence as an artist to let young men know that showing vulnerability carries no shame, but beauty.
