If I Could See Your Face

Affinities between photographers in the Tender Photo archive

Faces turned from the viewer; as up-close as a direct glance.

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“You Are Beautiful”

The photograph was taken in my hostel on the morning of the day I signed out from University. I had just finished my makeup and wanted to document the look as well as the nostalgic feeling I had. It was the beginning of an end. In the photo, my hair is covered with a scarf to make it slick. I posed myself, turned my face to show the outline of my face and took the photo. 

— Adetutu Adeniran

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“Mind’s Turbulence”

This photograph was taken during one of my regular visits to my family's home on the outskirts of Lagos. It shows my younger brother within my mother's garden, which provides an ideal backdrop for my photos. This garden has lately been a wellspring of inspiration, profoundly impacting my recent creative endeavors. The manner in which the light filters through the foliage creates a soft, inviting illumination and sets an ideal ambiance for my photographs.

— Adedolapo Boluwatife

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“Holyday”

The photo was taken in Heroldsbay, in December 2021. My grandmother had a white facemask on her face and hands, and my youngest brother, Gustav, was sitting on the couch. As my grandmother entered the living room, I was fascinated by her hands. I asked her to place them on Gustav's face, and gave him an eyeline to look at. I took the photo.

— DMT

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This is the seventh edition of AFFINITIES. Every Friday in March and April, I reread the statements by the 100 photographers featured between February 9, 2022 and January 10, 2024, and find affinities between how they describe their themes or process, or how they visual styles interact. Read the previous editions here.

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TENDER PHOTO is a bi-weekly newsletter on African photography. Every Wednesday we feature a photograph and a short caption about it, and include a statement from the photographer. Every Friday, we publish commentaries or photo-essays in response to photographs previously featured on the newsletter. Our goal is to engage with early to mid-career African photographers by creating a platform in which they lead the cataloguing and engagement with their work.