“I'm Kwame Dapaa, a fashion photographer from Ghana, currently based in London. My work often centres people of colour from diverse ethnic backgrounds, blending portraiture with fashion. I use fashion as a tool, combining mundane objects and materials in unconventional and obscure ways that are eye-catching and draw attention to my imagery. By mixing materials, props and textures, I create an unusual style of layering which engages the audience in different ways.
“My earliest memory of photography comes from my childhood in Ghana. When my mum and aunties were getting ready to go out, they would ask me to take pictures of them and I think the fashion aspect is rooted in the women in my life growing up. My aunt owned a boutique in Ghana, where I would flip through the pages of fashion magazines and watch people try on different pieces of clothing and accessories in the shop.
“In terms of recurring themes, I find myself focusing on shoes a lot within my work. I think they carry a sense of identity, you really can tell a lot about a person from their shoes. The recurring artistic theme within my work is playfulness, manipulating colour, light and darkness, whilst still conveying softness and fragility - these might be evoked more by feeling when I'm creating my work, but are really significant to me.
“In terms of visual language, this definitely comes from my love for music. It truly mirrors how I express myself through image-making. I love artists like Frank Ocean, Kelela, Blood Orange, Erika De Casier... Honestly, I think Erika's song "The Flow" is what heaven sounds like, the way it makes me feel is unexplainable - it's my definition of a perfect song! All of these artists, their lyricism merged with their sounds have truly inspired me and helped to shape my visual language.
“I draw a lot of natural inspiration from hanging out with my friends, having a great laugh feeds my soul and mind. I also do love the clubs, you'll probably see me shaking my ass somewhere in a warehouse in Hackney Wick on the weekends...
“I’m currently working on a photobook about my life since moving from Ghana when I was 15 and establishing myself here as a creative and my return back home - exploring myself as a queer man in my motherland.”
@kwxme
Companies
Dazed Media
- Publishing