The Spaces Beyond (2020)
Faith Namikoye Wanjala uses a monochromatic colour palette and long exposure to accentuate colour and contrast to convey the vastness of Blackness.
"From my vantage point as a queer, gender nonconforming Kenyan, the Black experience cannot be confined to one moment in time. Rather, Blackness lives on a continuum that stretches through each of us. This rings especially true given that African queer history is hardly recognised.
In The Spaces Beyond, I use a monochromatic colour palette and long camera exposure to accentuate contrast and texture. The resulting black and white self-portraits bleed through what can be described as a spectral glare. These techniques allow me to convey the tangible and intangible aspects of Black identity and the vastness of Blackness.
In these images, I also aim to capture the ways in which stillness is part of the struggle of self-discovery. I find that, as humans, we are often able to simultaneously nurture our desires, imagination, pleasures, and dreams, while in battle with parts of ourselves."
—Faith Namikoye Wanjala
