Darkness is a challenge for many photographers. A badly lit room can ruin an image, and the absence of light can make it impossible for the camera to capture anything at all. What if darkness was not only a resource but also a meaningful vessel? Multimedia artist Mikael Owunna turns the principles of photography on its head to bring ancient African folklore to light in his new exhibition titled Imagine Fresh Darkness. The show features 19 images from his groundbreaking photographic series Infinite Essence.
While photography is mostly used to capture a moment as seen by our eyes, Owunna has taken it to its etymological origins to create something more. “[Infinite Essence] redefines conventional notions of photography, which from its Greek roots—photos (light) and graphos (drawing)—is often understood as ‘drawing with light,’” states Blue Sky Gallery, which houses the exhibition. “However, Owunna’s approach subverts this foundational concept by utilizing ultraviolet light, which is invisible to the naked eye, to reveal and draw from the ‘blackness’ or darkness itself.”
To achieve this, Owunna built custom camera equipment that captures the fluorescence of nude painted bodies under UV light. In turn, his images aim to reveal a spectral vision of humanity that puts African cosmological narratives in the spotlight—drawing a connection between two entities invisible to the human eye and standard photographic equipment.
“Nommo Semi, Guardian of Space” (2019) 16” x 24” Archival inkjet print
“Amma’s Womb” (2019) 24” x 16” Archival inkjet print
“Mmadu (The Enlightened One)” (2019) 16” x 24” Archival inkjet print
