Style: David Alekhuogie has a very prominent photography style. He uses a lot of bright colors and features that are frequently used in African American culture. He stands with the BLM movement and a lot of his work shows his political stance on those topics.
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Date of Birth: He is still currently living.
Personal Background: He graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago earning a post-baccalaureate Bachelor of Art with a focus in Photography in 2013 and Master’s of Fine Art from Yale University in 2015. In an article from 'Art News' he said, "My dad is from Nigeria and my mom is from south central Los Angeles." |
Philosophy: David's views on personal and political views are very much towards the injustice that African American people feel every day, such as alienation. In one of his most famous works, the 'saggy pants' photo he explains how people, including former president Obama, says how this style is somehow inappropriate even though it has been worn as a style for decades. His photographs were able to show the beauty and and culture that is within just a way to wear pants.
Influences: Learning more about this photographer has taught me about the power in color, and the ability to show right from wrong in only a photo of a bandana or a pair of pants. His ability to show great power with an image, almost like words, has truly inspired me to look more deeply into the every day things I see and what their meaning could be.
Sources: https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/interviews/david-alekhuogie-explores-black-masculinity-body-politics-56490/
https://artreview.com/ar-december-2017-review-david-alekhuogie/
https://www.latitudechicago.org/news/david-alekhuogie
https://artreview.com/ar-december-2017-review-david-alekhuogie/
https://www.latitudechicago.org/news/david-alekhuogie
This image was fairly difficult to recreate but it is his most successful work. I had a model so I was able to dress the model accordingly. I could not find another shirt to go over it but I tried my best. This was a challenge.
This was my best of the recreations. I already had bandanas due to the global pandemic and to recreate the look of red streaks I used ketchup so it could easily be washed out. This was a triumph.
This one was definitely the hardest. To both include the red of the pants and the pop of the red flowers I struggled. This was also a challenge.
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Artist Statement: This photography project made me see the importance and weight simple objects can hold, especially for certain minorities. I learned a lot about setting up a "stage" for your image so it looks similar to the original. I used flat lay, 3D, and blurred dynamics which helped strengthen the skills that I had already obtained. This also helped with learning new sills in Photoshop which enhanced my ability to use that tool. Overall, this project really solidified many of things I have learned this trimester.