As John Kenny's exhibition opens at Capital Culture, Loredana D'Andrea is utterly captivated.
It's possibly ridiculous for me to admit that no words can describe John Kenny's photographs, since I'm writing a review on his solo exhibition at Capital Culture! Though maybe that'll prepare you for what you'll encounter if you pay the show a visit. Where many images of Africans will greet you with either a full beaming smile, sad eyes or a confrontational glare, these photographs are as clear as life, only so much more striking. This becomes even more astounding when you find out that no flash or studio equipment is used: it's only natural light, reflected from the ground which reaches inside the village huts and creates this miraculous, almost god-like effect.
The portraits stare at you head on. Those in colour stand out from the monochrome images in a similar way to what it must have been like to see bold Technicolour on your TV for the first time. And then the black and white photographs give a sumptuous metallic sheen to the skin and hair of the subjects, which Kenny mentions in one of his descriptions of a girl's hair as “liquid metallic”. Some of the colourful clothing and adornments seem peculiar for the setting. Keys hanging from ears, zips hanging from headpieces, safety pins: all further evoke the personal character of each subject. They stand prominently against the stark black backgrounds.
As well as capturing the intense stare of his subjects Kenny accompanies his work with descriptions that contain short stories, almost like fables about the person, how he came to meet them or the area that dominates their life. One photograph presents a young girl with stunning water-filled eyes, her hands in a relaxed pose yet her body seems stiff with a jolt of sadness running through her. It's utterly captivating. So I search through Kenny's description for a reason to find what sadness this girl has faced. In fact it explains that the girl was off playing and singing with her friends a moment after, so I presume her grief was temporary. No matter what Kenny confronts us with, it's truly fascinating, hopeful and heart-warming.
I'm drawn into every image, the crispness of the detail – so clear that the photographer can be seen in every pair of eyes – and the luminous quality brought about by the layer of UV perspex on every print. These are the qualities that cannot be experienced through viewing a print or an image on the internet. Nor can they express the peculiar interaction these images create.
John Kenny - Sub-Saharan Journeys is at Capital Culture until 31st July.
Read Lauren's interview with John Kenny.
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