EXPLORER OF THE UNSEEN
From Nigeria hails this self-taught photographer known as Yagazie Emezi. Armed with degrees in cultural anthropology and African studies, Emezi began her journey as a photographer in 2015. Soon, she was recognized as a talented and brilliant photographer, with her work commissioned by publications like the TIME, The Guardian, Al-Jazeera, New York Times and Vogue, to name a few. She has also been awarded by Getty Images and is one of the rare six recipients of the 2018 Inaugural Creative Bursary Award.
Her camera captures narratives from Africa, focusing mostly on women. Besides being a muse for many fashion brands, Emezi is an avid traveler that captures the stories of the places she visits. She’s been gathering stories and portraits of life and people from different African cities like Tanzania, Ghana, Liberia, Uganda, etc. Using her art as a way to bridge the gap of knowledge and awareness, she’s very keen on using her camera as a tool for story writing.
Her narratives mostly focus on exploring women in their everyday struggles of health care, sexuality, education, beauty and culture. Her honest depiction of African women and their plight weave an unapologetic image of the good, the bad and the ugly.
As a proud Nigerian woman who wears her hair au naturel, Emezi identifies as an adventurous, funny, patient and self-aware person. Besides exploring the life of women in different African societies, she also created a project focusing on the Lake Chad climate migration crisis, explaining that she loves learning and growing. She also created a self-story inspired project, which documents her own life. The key focus of the project is the scar on her leg, besides honoring her family of artists and academicians and also celebrating African cuisine and familial relationships as she knew them.
Emezi also uses her art and professions to rewrite the gendered perspective of photography. As one of the few women in photography who have also been recognized by big names, she aims to rewrite femininity and blur the lines between what’s too masculine and what’s too girly. Exploring the fine balance is something she takes joy in, and as evident by her portraits, the truth is what really matters – the nitty gritty, the pretty, the ugly and all the rest in between.
Yagazie is also an advocate for self-care. Self-aware and mindful in her daily life practices, Yagazie loves spending time with her family and friends. She’s also in love with her cat, loves to doodle and draw cartoons in her free time and is a staunch advocate for putting the body’s needs first.
Self made, talented, brilliant and powerful, Yagazie Emezi is a force to be reckoned with. Her work speaks for itself and is a beautiful articulation of cultures that exist amongst us and life across borders, which is as real, tangible and amazing as that within our borders.
Check out more at: www.yagazieemezi.com
