Capturing the African Diaspora on Film

The First Asian Solo Exhibition of Photographer James Barner 'Ever Young'

Drum Magazine Cover Girl. Photo by Barakat Contemporary

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Diaspora originally refers to the dispersion of Jews, but it is also frequently cited to describe the culture formed by the migration of African black people. It is estimated that about 12 million African slaves were scattered to Europe and the Caribbean region from the 16th to the 19th century through the modern slave trade. The traditions and culture of Africa passed down through their descendants established their own identity.

James Barnor, a pioneer of modern photography and Africa's first photographer, introduces the sophisticated and unique free-spirited life of contemporary Africans, instead of the vast nature and scenes of poverty we expect in Africa. At the center of this is the African diaspora in London and Ghana's independence.

Barakat Contemporary in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, is holding James Barnor's first solo exhibition in Asia, "Ever Young," until May 8. Born in 1929 in Accra, Ghana, James Barnor created a transcultural narrative connecting Africa and the UK over more than 60 years, spanning portrait photography and photojournalism.

Portrait of Evelyn Abbew, Accra, Jamestown, Ever Young Studio. c. 1954-1959, GELATIN SILVER PRINT, 24 x 30 cm. Photo by Barakat Contemporary

As Ghana's first photojournalist who recorded the rapidly changing society following Ghana's independence in the late 1950s, Barnor vividly captured the newness and prosperity that Ghanaians dreamed of at the time.

In the 1960s, he moved to cosmopolitan London and worked as a photographer for the African lifestyle magazine "Drum," capturing the culture of the African diaspora within British society through his lens. Barnor's photos, featuring black models he personally discovered, served as a bridge introducing the dignified and new beauty of African women of the era.

In the European photography scene dominated by white photographers, he presented an African-centered perspective and showcased a new African identity and beauty after the colonial era. He delivers a message of subversion and restoration against the Africa imagined by whites through their own desires until then.

Returning to his homeland in the 1970s, Barnor devoted himself to capturing contemporary Ghanaian scenes in pastel tones at Studio X23, which introduced color photography technology to Ghana for the first time. His photographs, expressed with delicate sensibility, evoke strange memories and nostalgia, reminding viewers that the moments in the photos are relics of the past and traces of events that occurred.

The Olas Comedians, an all-male troupe of actors, Accra, Jamestown, Ever Young Studio. Photo by Barakat Contemporary
c. 1953-1954, GELATIN SILVER PRINT, 70 x 70 cm

The blackness reflected in Africa's image, often represented by exotic landscapes, has been used as a means to justify slavery and colonialism beyond greed and exploitation. Barnor breaks down the walls of whiteness and blackness and presents free subjects through the figures and scenes of Ghana and the black diaspora in London, who enjoy culture and art and live their own unique lives.

Barnor says through his photos he hopes young people will keep something even after he has left this world. Ahead of this exhibition, he confessed, "I want to feel that I have done something for humanity through photography." His photos inform the audience of a unique perspective and interpretation that recognize history anew and look toward the present and future. Forever Young, eternal youth.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.