David Uzochukwu

David Ejikeme Uzochukwu (born 10 December 1998) is an Austrian–Nigerian art photographer with a focus on portrait photography who lives and works in Brussels and Berlin.

David Uzochukwu
Born
David Ejikeme Uzochukwu

(1998-12-10) 10 December 1998
Innsbruck, Austria
NationalityAustrian–Nigerian
CitizenshipAustrian–Nigerian
EducationHumboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Known forPhotography
AwardsEyeEm, Flickr's 20 Under 20
WebsiteOfficial website

He is queer.[1]

Early life and education

Born David Ejikeme Uzochukwu in Innsbruck, Austria, to an Austrian mother and a Nigerian father. He was raised in Innsbruck, before moving to Luxembourg and Brussels. He has since lived in Vienna and Berlin where he studies towards a Bachelor of Fine Arts in philosophy at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

Work

Uzochukwu started with Self-portraiture and evolved to photographing Portraits in nature. His photography combines post-production and intimate portraiture,[2] frequently imparting images with an aura of isolation hanging over his body in physical manifestations of smoke, clouds, water, and fire. His surreal images present, for example, blue skies that become walls, crystals that float in midair, volcanic sand that becomes a comforting shroud, or blood that turns into a mask.[3]

His work has often conveyed his observations on race and queerness. At Unseen Amsterdam, for instance, he premiered a series of photographs which used the image of humanoid water creatures, equipped with fins, tails, or sharp teeth. In 2019, Uzochukwu was quoted saying that these works express 'what it means to be dubbed 'black," to have an oppressive notion of race imposed upon, and to thrive nonetheless.'[4][5]

His latest project is a celebration of Nigerian creatives. Each portrait focuses on the 'disruptive energy' these artists used to push boundaries and make things happen.[6][7]

His work is inspired by artists such as American photographer Gregory Crewdson and Kenyan-American artist Wangechi Mutu, whose works construct personal universes that conflate gender, race, art history, and personal identity.[8][9]

In 2016, his series A Familiar Ruin was shown at BOZAR Center for Fine Arts as part of the group show Dey Your Lane!, curated by Nigerian Azu Nwagbogu.[10]

Exhibitions (selection)
  • FOM Foto Maastricht, 6211-kunskwartier, Maastricht, August 2014
  • Flickr Friday: A Living Room, iGNANT, Berlin, January 2014; co-organised with Fantastic Frank[11]
  • Flickr, 20 Under 20, curated by Vogue photo director Ivan Shaw, Milk Studios, New York, NY, October 2014[12]
  • The EyeEm World Tour 2015, traveled to Alte Teppichfabrik, 12–13 September 2014; NUMA, Paris, 13–15 November 2014; EyeEm Studio San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 14 November 2014; Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, 29–30 November 2014; Art basel miami, The Lab Miami, Miami, FL, 1–7 December 2014; Tokyo Institute of Photography, Tokyo, 3–21 December 2014; Haus der Universität, Düsseldorf, 30 January 2015, as part of Düsseldorf Photo Weekend; Soho House Toronto, Toronto, 25 February 2015; Openhouse Gallery, New York, NY, 26 March 2015[13]
  • Unlocked, curated by Vassilis Zidianakis, ATOPOS Contemporary Visual Culture, Athens, 24 February – 22 April 2016[14]
  • Africa Salon – mo(ve)ments: African Digital Subjectivities, Yale School of Art, New Haven, CT, 29–31 March 2016
  • Whispering Stills, Never Apart, Montréal, 16 April – 9 July 2016
  • Dey Your Lane !, curated by Azu Nwagbogu, BOZAR Center for Contemporary Art, Brussels, 17 June – 16 September 2016[15]
  • Lagos Photo Festival, Inherent Risk; Rituals and Performance, curated by Azu Nwagbogu, Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, 22 October – 21 November 2016[16]
  • 27th Festival of African, Asian and Latin American Film Cinema, Where Future Beats, curated by Azu Nwagbogu and Maria Pia Bernardoni, Casello Ovest di Porta Venezia, Milano, 19–26 March 2017; co-organised by Lagos Photo Festival, Lagos[17]
  • Portraits, Photo Brussels Festival 02, Hangar, Photo Art Center, Brussels, 17 November 2017 – January 19, 2018
  • Songe du Présent, MuPHo Musée de la photographie de Saint Louis, St Louis, Sénégal, 3–25 May 2018; organised on the occasion of Dak'art Biennale 2018[18][19]
  • Innate: Future Blooms (Djeneba Aduayom), La Villa Rouge, Dakar, 3–25 May 2018; as part of the exhibition Bridge curated by MuPHo Musée de La Photographie de St Louis, on the occasion of Dak'art Biennale 2018
  • Transparent, Kalonoma Festival, Munich, 5 May 2018
  • When Ethics meets Aesthetics, Vogue Italia initiative, Leica Gallery Milano, Milan, 4–20 June 2018
  • Liquid Thunder, An Immersive Soundscape Experience With David Uzochukwu, MONOM, Berlin, 13 October 2019; (solo exhibition with sound installation by William Russell)
  • PhotoVogue Festival 2018, Embracing Diversity, curated by Alessia Glaviano and Francesca Marani, BASE Milano, 14–17 November 2019[20][21][22][23]
  • Unseen Amsterdam, 20–22 September 2019; represented by Gallery Number 8, Brussels
  • PhotoVogue Festival 2019, A Glitch in the System, curated by Alessia Glaviano and Francesca Marani, BASE Milano, 14–17 November 2018[20][21][22][23]

Career

Uzochukwu began taking pictures at an early age. Already competent using his mother's point-and-shoot camera at age 10,[24] he started sharing his photographs more widely at the age of 13.[25] At 16, Uzochukwu went professional and signed with Iconoclast Image and Gallery 8.[26] At 17, FKA Twigs handpicked Uzochukwu to shoot a significant campaign for Nike in Mexico.[27]

Uzochukwu has created campaigns for clients like Adobe Photoshop, The Paris Opera (Opéra National de Paris),[28] Dior,[29] Nike,[30] Iris van Herpen,[31] and World Wildlife Fund,[32] and worked with artists such as FKA Twigs,[27] Ibeyi,[33] Benjamin Clementine,[34] Labrinth,[35] Little Dragon, and Pharrell Williams.[36]

Recognition

In 2014, he was named EyeEm Photographer of the Year,[37][38] as well as one of Flickr's inaugural 20under20.[39] In 2015, he was among the few selected for Adobe Photoshop's 25 Under 25[40] and received the Canon x Exhibitr Student Photography Award.[41] In 2019, he was selected for the CPH:LAB 2019/2020, the talent development program of CPH:DOX Copenhagen International Documentary Festival.[42]

References
  1. "It's a pride, pride world". CUB Magazine. 8 June 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  2. Davies, Indi (16 August 2018). "First Hand — From signing with an agent at 16, to shooting for Nike at 17: What David Uzochukwu has learned so far". Lecture in Progress. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  3. Immi (2018). "Knotorys Talks to David Uzochukwu". Knotoryus. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  4. Staff writer (16 September 2019). "Across The Globe: Artist Spotlight #, Unseen Amsterdam". Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  5. Maridelis-Morales, Rosado (25 June 2019). "35 Queer Photographers Illustrate What "Pride" Really Means". Wmagazine. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  6. "David Uzochukwu. A Shower of Sparks Emanates from Him". Wepresent. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  7. Elizabeth, Marcia (2019). "David Uzochukwu's 'Pluton' Celebrates Nigerian Creatives". Bubblegumclub. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  8. Ogilvy, Flora Alexandra (20 April 2017). "An Interview with David Uzochukwu in Brussels, Belgium". Arteviste. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  9. Staff writer. "Wangechi Mutu (Kenyan, born 1972)". Artnet. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  10. Staff writer (15 June 2020). "Meet the Artists, Dey Your Lane!, Lagos Variations". Bozar. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  11. Kurze, Caroline (2014). "A Living Room by iGNANT, x Fantastic Frank". Ignant.com. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  12. Tafoya, Angela (16 September 2014). "These 20 Teenagers Are The Future Of Photography". Refinery29.com. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  13. "The EyeEm World Tour". 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  14. Zidianakis, Vassilis (2016). Unlocked. Athens: ATOPOS Contemporary Visual Culture.
  15. Staff writer (2016). "17 juni '16 — 04 september '16, Dey Your Lane!, Lagos Variations". Bozar.be. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  16. Staff writer (2016). "2016". Lagos Photo Festival. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  17. Bernardoni, Maria Pia (2017). "Photo exhibition "Where Future Beats"". Festival Cinema Africano. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  18. Mercier, Jeanne (24 January 2018). "Ouverture du MuPho à Saint Louis, premier musée dédié à la photographie au Sénégal". 9 Lives Magazine (in French). Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  19. Senegal Black Rainbow (16 May 2018). "Le musée de la photo de St Louis". Senegal Black Rainbow (in French). Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  20. "Photo Vogue Festival: Milan, Italy 15–18 November 2018". Shutterhub. 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  21. Staff writer (2018). "Photovogue – David Uzochukwu". Vogue. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  22. Pelloso, Giovanni. "Photo Vogue Festival 2019". Vivi Milano Corriere. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  23. Marani, Francesca (22 May 2018). "When Ethics meets Aesthetics • The exhibition. The opening at Leica Galerie in Milan". Vogue. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  24. Zhang, Jenny (22 September 2014). "15-Year-Old Photographer's Surreal Portraits Express Powerful Emotions". My Modern Met. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  25. Staff writer (13 October 2019). "Iconoclast and Monom Present: An Immersive Soundscape Experience With David Uzochukwu". Monom Sound. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  26. Severin; Uzochukwu, David. "Going Pro at 16. An Interview with David Uzochukwu". Eyeem. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  27. Yeung, Vivian. "Meet David Uzochukwu, the photographer behind FKA twigs' Dream Warrior issue". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  28. Chioma (26 February 2016). "Meet David Uzochukwu, The Austro-Nigerian Photographer Who Is Doing Great Things!". Zikoko. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  29. Colomer, Arnau Valls (2018). "Dior 'Collection' Dir David Uzochukwu Prod Iconoclast". Vimeo. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  30. Pritchard, Owen (11 January 2017). "FKA twigs teams up with 17 year old photographer David Uzochukwu for new Nike campaign". It's Nice That. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  31. "News | 'Sensory Seas' Intimately Lensed by the Magnificent David Uzochukwu". Iris van Herpen. 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  32. Schmidt, Eva-Maria (11 September 2017). "Ohne Mutter Natur gibt es keine Zukunft für Menschenkinder". Horizont. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  33. De Vriendt, Mien (2 September 2017). "David Uzochukwu: De rijzende ster aan het fotografiefirnament. De Brusselse tiener bij wie sterren in de rij staan". De Standaard. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  34. Staff writer. "Benjamin Clementine". Matthew Josephs. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  35. Smyth, David (25 October 2019). "Labrinth interview: 'I felt like my crown was becoming a burden'". Standard. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  36. Van Lancker, Eline (14 November 2019). "Werken voor Wes Anderson en Pharrell Williams doe je zo". De Morgen (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  37. "Going Pro at 16: An Interview with David Uzochukwu". EyeEm. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  38. Bizzotto, Márcia (3 November 2015). "O autodidata de 16 anos eleito 'Fotógrafo do Ano'". BBC (in Portuguese). Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  39. "Flickr 20 Under 20". Flickr. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  40. "Photoshop's 25 Under 25 Starts with a Band with 8 Global Phenoms". Photoshop Blog by Adobe. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  41. Fernandez, Elisa Sanchez (3 October 2016). "Las seis cuentas que seguir en tus redes sociales este octubre". El Pais (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  42. Staff writer (27 August 2019). "CPH:LAB announces this year's participants for the 2019/2020 edition". CPH:DOX. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
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