OUR CULTURES THROUGH FASHION

Featured Artist: Yannis Davy Guibinga

Exhibition Dates: Jan. 22 – Feb. 5th

Cube Project Space in Brick at Blue Start Arts Complex

Number of Works: 16 framed photographs

Exhibition Overview

In the fourth installment of the Perspectives from Within series, titled “Our Cultures Through Fashion”, we focus on the intersection of fashion and culture by surveying various contributions to African styles from around the continent. We are particularly interested in how fashion has developed and been repurposed over time as an authentic way of self-expression.

The work of Yannis Davy Guibinga embodies the spirit of our PFW theme by tapping into traditional cultural aesthetics as well as creating entirely new ways of seeing the world of fashion from African perspectives. The featured series include: The First Woman (2020), Lagbaja (2021), Yaye (2021), and Tales of the First Sunrise (2021). This collection highlights Guibinga’s artistic range by displaying the beauty of his past projects while wrestling with issues that have emerged in his work over the years.

Overall, there are several thematic categories that reoccur in this collection, such as: African mythology, femininity & womanhood, and cultural specificity. A central theme to this exhibition is the juxtaposition between old and new, or traditional and contemporary. In approaching his projects, Guibinga believes that:

“Everything is always a reinterpretation of things that have already existed, especially in terms of art and creativity. In my work, I am taking from the past to construct the ideal future for Africans”.

-Yannis Davy Guibinga

About the Artist

Yannis Davy Guibinga is a photographer from Libreville, Gabon currently based in Montréal, Canada. His portrait photography is a documentation of a new generation of Africans, unapologetically embracing their many identities and cultures in the face of globalization and Western cultural imperialism. His work also focuses on highlighting the diversity of African identities, as well as how these identities are created through the intersection of different factors such as gender, culture, and socioeconomic status. By letting each image tell a different story and illustrate a unique experience, point of view and perspective, Yannis Davy Guibinga with colors, shapes and shadows creates a world of powerful, beautiful, and dignified Africans regardless of gender performance, class, or sexual orientation.

Exhibition Image List: A list of all featured images and pricing (PFW IV-Image List)

For inquiries into sales, exhibition loans, or additional questions, contact: info@olaju.org