“Drag is the art of transformation, it is an expression of oneself through performance”. Chante Harries, an experienced drag queen from Parkwood (Cape Town), is the showpiece of “drag with a purpose, celebrate diversity”, an initiative launched with an aim to rehabilitate young women involved in drug abuse and gangsterism in the Cape Flats, Cape Town. In the area created by the infamous ‘Group Areas Act’, she took under her wings, in the glittering Parkwood hair […]
The work that I am interested in and do a lot of is work dealing with issues of rape and other social issues, this is based on personal experiences as much as it is a global issue. My one biggest interest is using self-portraiture to speak about a lot of social issues and tell all these stories. I would also like to use poetry in combination with photography. What started as a personal healing journey for me slowly […]
Out of work is a photographic series reflecting on phases I experienced living with my partner. While I am a full-time student, she is a full-time employee. The roles and responsibilities in our household have shifted drastically. Change has never been easy anyhow; such situations can be strenuous because it’s a new life experience and I have to figure out how to keep our relationship healthy, protect our hearts and save our souls. Being a traditional man, I have […]
The Yeoville market is filled with food, clothing and people. Of course it would have been the easier way of representing the Yeoville market as a whole with human features in my work. But with the harassment I was getting there from male stallholders, I had to think on the spot and shift my narrative, to focusing on something that would not lead to people asking me, “Why are you photographing in my space?” or, “Baby you look nice, […]
Underlying my work is the desire to learn more about empathy, sympathy, and compassion, and to convey these human traits in a way that impacts lives. My choice of subject is rooted in intuition and is propelled by a reflective desire to understand myself as a young black woman. As I document stories of black women in their environments, I’m intrigued by our similarities, differences, what lies beneath our smiles, what dreams are kept hidden. Mine is not to simply […]