Vogue Hope: надежда в объективах молодых и перспективных фотографов

10 юных талантов делятся снимками, символизирующими для них надежду на светлое будущее В самый разгар тяжелого 2020 года впервые за 128-летнюю историю бренда все 26 изданий Vogue объединились вокруг темы надежды, чтобы познакомиться с прогрессивными творческими людьми из разных уголков планеты. Итак, на очереди фотографы будущего. Что для них значит эта тема? Восходящая звезда из Шанхая Лесли Чжан воплотила надежду в образе энергичных молодых гимнастов из китайского города Нанкин, для Алфи Вайт из Лондона ею стала новорожденная малышка Нья, а Даг Сергас вспомнил свой снимок 2016 года, на котором изображена группа молодых чернокожих ребят. Десять начинающих и уже известных фотографов поделились с Vogue своими работами и рассказали, почему представленные снимки дарят им надежду на светлое будущее. Kennedi Carter The Durham, North Carolina, native is a fine art photographer who focuses primarily on black subjects. She says her work “highlights the aesthetics and sociopolitical aspects of blackness as well as the overlooked beauties of the black experience: skin, texture, trauma, peace, love and community.” “This is an image of my godsister, Jaelle. Something I admire so much about children are their sentient dream states where anything is possible. As an adult, I’ve come to realise hope lies in our ability to dream. The whims of life often make us cynical and sour our ability to truly imagine. Improve the world by imagining one you’d like to live in, then create it.” Sirui Ma Working between London and New York, the Beijing native often incorporates the natural world into her photography and is fast building a reputation for her romantic portraiture. “I took this photo on my first trip outside of London after lockdown on the 25 June. I was finally able to be in nature again, and I felt complete. The pandemic forced us to pause in our tracks, and I really believe that it was a message from Earth, an act of rebalancing. Nature doesn’t need us. It is better off without us and it is my hope that we can all, at the very least, reflect and do what we can to minimise our individual impact on the environment to protect and preserve our planet for future generations.” David Nana Opoku Ansah Raised in a small town south of Accra, the Ghanaian photographer says he “creates work across many genres to explore and document a new aesthetic of blackness. “This is an image I made about a group of boys coming of age in the northern part of Ghana. One thing inspired me so much: that they lived freely and fully with no uncertainties, making the best out of everything they shared. I feel there is more to achieve if we believe in moving together collectively and as a family — it can make so much [more] happen than individualism. “It’s so perfect for this moment because most of us are uncertain about the future, some are overwhelmed and others just can’t wrap their head around what’s happening in the world right now. I feel your pain. I believe we can do this together. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help. You are loved, we will get through this together.” Alexandra Leese 32-year-old London-based photographer Alexandra Leese spent her childhood in Hong Kong and creates beautiful and arresting imagery influenced by her dual heritage. “This photo was taken on a trip to a remote village near Du’an in Guangxi Province, China. The way of life, culture, language and even the landscape was so removed from my everyday life in London. The trip and the people I met there, especially these boys, reminded me that we can find so much beauty in what makes us different and unique, but also find common ground. “I hope we find more empathy and compassion for each other’s experiences on Earth. We fear most what we don’t understand, and by opening up our minds and our hearts to listen and learn from one another, we can find unity in this.” Jakob Landvik This Norwegian creative has worked both behind the lens and in front of it, developing an evocative and romantic style for which he is now renowned. “‘If black trans women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since their freedom would necessitate the destruction of all systems of oppression,’ said the Combahee River Collective [a black lesbian feminist collective formed in the US in 1974]. When thinking of an image that embodied the concept of hope, my friend Ceval was the first person that came to mind. Ceval is a 26-year-old Norwegian-Somali model and trans girl. In the fight for freedom, we need to centre the ones who exist in the intersection of multiple oppressions in order to truly get equality and liberation for all. This is my hope. I would rather live one year in the sun than 1,000 years in the shadows.” Sophie Harris-Taylor Born and based in London, the 30-year-old’s work has gone on to win the BJP Portrait of Britain. “It’s become more and more apparent recently that we need a new, different way of seeing. The old views, the old ways of doing things are being blocked out and changed by powerful young voices. Even as a 30-year-old, it’s amazing to hear the awareness and consideration in those younger than me, and I’m learning so much from them. So I’m hopeful not just for what we’re seeing happening now, but thinking of what small children like my son and Finn [pictured] will be doing when their time comes.” Isabel Okoro Based between Toronto and Lagos, the 19-year-old photographer describes her work as “a personal visualisation of black utopia used to tell stories of the sun.” “The image above is a still from a short film I worked on earlier in the year called Friends in Eternity (Sanity Sanctuary). In its final form, this short film serves as a trailer into my visual universe, ‘Eternity’, where hope and trust in the black imagination is the sole foundation. I think a lot about what is and how that informs what could be. In moments of uncertainty and distress, I find myself looking back at my dreams and imagining the stories I’d like to see. “Dwelling in the present leaves very little to the imagination so I give myself something to look forward to by visualising acts of love, freedom, existence and joy. Although the work I’m trying to create involves real, human stories, I also enjoy the occasional fictional idea that transports us to a different reality. Both pathways intersect in ‘Eternity’. Personally, in a few years’ time, I’d like to see ‘Eternity’ grow and exist as a multimedia universe with various contributors and storylines. I’d like to see more support for honest, empathetic representation of black futuristic thought.” Leslie Zhang The Shanghai-based rising star, 27, is redefining Chinese fashion photography. “These are gymnasts training in the city of Nanjing where I was raised. I have been taking pictures of them since they were little. It’s the sheer energy from these athletes that keeps inspiring me. I hope outside this window awaits their wonderful future, and ours.” Doug Segars Originally from Englewood, New Jersey, and now based in New York, this American photographer says he “chronicles the nuances of everyday life in a documentary style.” “Our world is fighting two pandemics: Covid-19 and systemic racism. Taken in summer 2016, this photo captures the hope of defeating both. By offering us all a glimpse into a world where being young, black and on a street corner with friends isn’t a threat to the authorities or a risk to their health, we all get to reimagine the vast spectrum and complexion of innocence. And it reminds us that what we are ultimately struggling for is a world where kids of all kinds can roam, laugh, joke, frolic and just be free.” Alfie White The 20-year-old South Londoner is a documentary and portrait photographer. “Nyah [pictured] was born earlier this year at the beginning of lockdown in the UK, and at the time this photo was taken, I was the second other person Nyah had met. For me, her being born has been the silver lining of this year. Nyah’s name means ‘purpose’ but to me, she means hope. “I hope that every day that passes is a day closer to an informed future, one with more understanding and less prejudice; a future where a person’s race, gender or sexuality doesn’t limit their life experiences and affect the way they are treated, and where people who are born in lower social classes are not faced with a system designed to keep them there.”