PORTFOLIO John Kenny Sub-Saharan Journeys A freelance photographer based in London, John Kenny has spent a substantial part of the last decade traversing some of the more obscure regions of Africa capturing remarkable portraits of people still living traditional lifeways there. Taken with a digital SLR and an eight-by-ten view camera, his haunting portraits 116 are gripping documents that remarkably fall into a unique humanist place somewhere between Victorian ethnographic documentation and contemporary fashion photography. We chatted with John about his work. Tribal Art: What is the scope of this project? John Kenny: It started in 2006 and it has taken me across twelve sub-Saharan African countries and into hundreds of indigenous tribal communities. TA: How would you characterize your experience with the people you’ve met? JK: These visits have been an amazing education for me. I’ve met some remarkable people and have also been privileged to witness unique tribal crafts and visual expressions of culture found in how people from these communities choose their attire. And as much as there are similarities between members of the same tribe, there are very often interesting differences. Within a set of visual “cultural rules,” some of which might communicate key pieces of societal status about a person, each individual might well have a degree of freedom: choice perhaps to select their own fabrics, jewelry, body art, or hairstyles. This individual interpretation of what their culture means to them is something that excites me and has led me in many cases to revisit communities some years down the line. And perhaps more importantly, I’ve made many good friends amongst these communities and so I’m often driven to return to revitalize those friendships, perhaps to share pictures from my last visit and understand what life has brought for them and their families in the intervening period. TA: What are you trying to achieve with this project? JK: As a photographer I want my pictures to communicate to people back home some intimate feel for what it is to be in the presence of some of these visually spectacular individuals. In addition to this, the photo narratives that I write in my shows aim to provide context and an outline of some of the issues that indigenous tribal communities face today. I remain fascinated by how traditional communities manage to survive in some of the most inhospitable environments on earth and amongst today’s myriad political, developmental, and environmental pressures. TA: Why just Africa? JK: From the very first time I landed in Africa to start this work, I found Africans to be generous spirited, hugely optimistic, and welcoming. They unwittingly ensured that I developed a profound love for the continent and explain why I return there and not to other destinations that have rich indigenous tribal heritages. TA: Talk to us about your photographic style. JK: At the very start of my Africa project, after my first encounters with indigenous tribal communities, I was left mesmerized by what I had witnessed. I was hugely excited by the idea of making art within these communities, but also knew that it would be a massive FIG. 1 (right): Close to Bargi, Omo Valley, Ethiopia. August 2012. © John Kenny. 7–10 March 2013 Battersea Art Fair LONDON 4–7 April 2013 AAF Fair NEW YORK 13–16 June 2013 Hampstead Art Fair LONDON Capital Culture Gallery www.capitalculture.eu and www.john-kenny.com
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