SEEN: MAKING FANTASY A REALITY
SEEN is a physical embodiment of what I craved to see growing up.
SEEN deals with themes of identity and representation. In this exhibition, I made a conscious decision to only feature Black women from Cornell College to show a younger version of myself that it is possible to be in the spotlight also. I wanted to feature ordinary Black women, the everyday Black woman, the Black woman who is not a celebrity or influencer – the Black woman who is gorgeous and educated.
SEEN illuminates the ordinary, showcasing these women for simply being themselves. Black women are multifaceted beings capable of being in the spotlight for their beauty.
Black women are cover-worthy.
INSIDE THE MAGAZINE
The full magazine has a 40 pages.
Behind the Scene
The purpose of this video is to show the importance of SEEN. It showcases my dream as a young black girl who never saw black women in media and shows me that if I don’t see it, I can make it myself for young black girls to see what’s possible.
In this video, I started with a video clip from a 10-year-old me talking to the camera and then transitions to the behind-the-scenes clip with each of the girls that I photographed showcasing the process of how I got to the final magazine. I chose the song “The Life I choose” by Adekunle Gold because it is an afrobeat song that ties to my Nigerian heritage bringing it to a full circle moment. This song in particular is significant because for me choosing to pursue a creative career is outside of the norm as a Nigerian, It shows that I am paving my path as a creative that this is really the life that I choose.
