Young Austrian-Nigerian artist David Uzochukwu presents his latest body of work, Drown In My Magic, at this week’s Unseen Amsterdam - the annual fair showcasing cutting edge photography. Fast becoming known for his surreal and sensitive images, Uzochukwu started off exploring self-portraiture and themes that evoke power of the natural world. Although deeply personal, and still a teenager at the time, he was soon sought after by magazines such as Numéro and W, musicians like Little Dragon and FKA Twigs and brands including Nike and Hermès. He’s also exhibited at Bozar, Photo Vogue Festival and LagosPhoto.

Currently completing his philosophy studies at HU Berlin, Uzochukwu’s new series of fantastical, digitally manipulated images return to one of his recurring motifs, that of water. Shot in Senegal, they depict human-like sea creatures who care for each other as they are hunted onto the shores yet manage to return back into the ocean’s healing depths. “With Drown In My Magic I want to repurpose the exoticism, danger and animalism projected onto black bodies,” he explains. “The series visualises the de-humanisation black people face on countless levels, and turns it into a message of empowerment.”

David Uzochukwu is presented by Galerie Number 8 at Unseen Amsterdam from 20 to 22 September

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Published on 19/09/2019