William Ukoh: White Shadow Series and Studies on Privacy and Identity, 2014-2015.
Study on Privacy and Identity, 2015.
Ukoh about Ukoh:
I am a Nigerian currently based in Toronto, Canada. My interests currently lie with the visual art form with photography being my primary mode of expression. Within the photography medium my content is vast, but with a special interest in Fashion photography. Growing up, I was constantly surrounded by art – my mum is a collector – and so I developed an interest at an early age. There wasn’t a point where I was ever conscious about artists; top painters, photographers, sculptors, etc. I was never aware of the techniques, styles and accompanying messages with the art pieces. There was just a general interest which I expressed earlier on via drawings. Growing up, the thought of a career as an artist wasn’t exactly encouraged beyond primary school and as such, I never sought to advance any skill I might have had – I played around with editing software and cameras in high-school – but there was no backing knowledge. Fast forward to university, and I was reintroduced to the idea of photography by accident (in a sense). In this accident, I also discovered a passion for story-telling, regardless of the medium (as abstract or as straight forward as possible). Over the years, I have taught myself, practiced, studied, stalked the greats, studied some more, and learned how to take somewhat decent photographs. I’m still learning.
“The goal has been/is/will always be to improve”
Whiteshadows series, 2014.
‘Whiteshadows I’ is an ongoing series from an ongoing discussion about cultural appropriation — and the much hidden discussion about taking ownership–told from my perspective. The collection of photos in their presentation is as vague as the term //cultural appropriation// and as clear as the perceived term //cultural appropriation//
Study on Privacy and Identity, 2015.
