Artist: Dare (pronounced DahRay) Kumolu-Johnson

Artist Statement:

In my work, I love to tell stories that speak to people especially stories of black people. When I am capturing images, my guiding words to myself are, “Forget your photos; tell me a story.” I am a Nigerian immigrant who came here ignorant of the plight of black people in this country. However, over the years, I have come to understand the social and racial injustice consistently meted out on African Americans. Understanding this unfairness and seeing the work of Gordon Parks has compelled me to show the beauty of black people from all facets and walks of life even in more ways than I ever did. My goal is to show the humanity of all black people (here in the US and all over the world). I love capturing black people and I, often, get totally lost in it. It’s the only time I forget everything else going on in my life.

My approach to creating images involves observing the available light and maximizing it in telling the stories I see and/or feel in my environment. I also make use of artificial light as I see fit.

Another major aspect of my work ensures that I use beautiful compositions to create stories and convey the messages behind them.

To directly purchase photos (framed and unframed) online click here.