Color Coded
« Black is literally the soul, the other part of yourself that represent real beauty, positivity, happiness and purity. White is the material, the other part of you that needs food, water, sex...That part represent negativity, depression, violation, oppression in this series. Now we need to reconsider the meaning of these two “colors”. From what history have shown, White means “Darkness ” and Black means “Pureness”. This project is a call for all the lost souls with their color associations to reconnect with themselves, to seek purity in their “Blackness”, and reevaluate The burden of the « white goat”. Being Black will save us: knowing your history, your roots. Our subconscious has been color coded. My ancestors have been trying to heal humanity. Today it is my duty to continue the healing process with one of the best tool of knowledge transmission : photography. » Color Coded seeks to create a discussion around the many labels the color Black and White how they are viewed in society that comes through many forms: Race, Spirituality, Gender-Identity.
James Town, Accra/Ghana 2017
"Behind every element of this series of photos shot on a beach Jamestown in Ghana, hides a strong symbolic. A white goat representing sins, oppression, negativity; a black goat representing purity, beauty, happiness; a black man to represent everything being oppressed whether for its color, sex, religion ... Color Coded is a kind of ritual bath for a return to self, where the man gets rid of what harms him and oppress, and embrace its true nature and all the potential it contains."
Written and Curated by Filly Gueye
Filly Gueye is a Senegalese-American curator and cultural strategist whose work focuses on the exploration of Black identities, diasporic narratives and the processes of cultural preservation. She is based in Dakar and serves as a programme curator at RAW Material Company. Her curatorial practice is centred on research-based storytelling and accompanying artists through exhibitions, research and discourse, with a focus on artistic practices engaged with themes of identity, belonging, and socio-cultural critique.
