Jusu Studios’ new photographic series DREAM (Does Reality Even Accept Me) is as fantastical and stylised as its title implies; a visualisation of a reality these creatives are ready for us to wake up to. The series offers a window into the lives and works of its Atlanta-based participants, who are not only reclaiming Blackness but setting the pace for a Black excellent future, one rich in imagination, experimentation and community. Creative director Dauda Jusu, along with his co-director India Mitchell, have birthed a project that illuminates a young and progressive generation of Black artists who together have shaped an innovative collective rooted in kinship and heart.

Ignited by a desire for “Black people to create spaces for themselves”, Jusu started Jusu Studios in 2018 and has been working with artists and creatives to enhance their visual language ever since. DREAM represents a close-knit group of Black voices who are prepared to deconstruct the systems of oppression that have been created to silence or appropriate them. Featuring work from talented photographers Philip Swaray, John Adams and Abdul Bengura, these images are confidently painted, depicting a world full of colour and cultural nuances.

We spoke to Jusu, who is just as distinctive and impressive as his name suggests, about the journey behind DREAM.

Who is Dauda Jusu?

I’m a 25 years old freelance visual creative director. I started off modeling in my later years of high school, which made me realise that I did not want to be the muse or the canvas. I wanted to be the painter. That's how I fully dove into creative direction and started Jusu Studios. Then we birthed DREAM, which is a passion project showcasing what we’re capable of while telling a story that was important to us.

How did Jusu Studios come together?

I have a lot of friends who are musicians, designers, models, stylists and all they were missing was direction and concepts. Jusu Studios was birthed very organically, it was essentially just a hub of work that I had done with some of the homies and then I was like, ok I need to take this more seriously and do it on a larger platform. The team is India Mitchell and I and then the photographers are like cousins of Jusu Studios who come on board to collaborate without any hesitation.

What inspired DREAM?

Oftentimes as creatives we feel forced to create something for the white gaze and we were like, no. We’re going to go in the opposite direction. DREAM is a photo series that highlights the avant-garde imagery and the surrealism of the African diaspora and Black people all around. I don’t think Black people are given the permission to be expressive and experimental; we follow a narrative that was projected onto us and I wanted to challenge that.

What were your greatest influences for this project?

I’m a first-generation Sierra Leonean raised on the outskirts of Atlanta, which was a predominantly Black, slightly impoverished neighbourhood, but within that there’s still Georgia, which is white America, and you’re facing the reality of racism and oppression. So, there are elements from my African background in some of the images, which is a juxtaposition to other images with nuances of the Southern aesthetic - Atlanta is the home of wearing grills, baggy clothes and dookie chains. Then, as a kid I had a desire to assimilate into white culture because of survival and my parents teaching me how to speak or dress or do these certain things, and those nuances come in too.

What’s special about Atlanta?

The South has a lot of negative history. It’s where slaves were picking cotton and working for the white man, but it's empowering to know that they flipped it to create a rich history of Blackness. By the 1970s, Atlanta was titled ‘The Black Mecca’ as a city where Black education was great, entertainment was skyrocketing, there was political power and economic opportunities. Everyone was moving to Atlanta for freedom and opportunities. Atlanta has birthed a lot of the music I listen to and has a strong rap culture. Black media is also very affluent here. When I was raised, my doctor was Black, my school teacher was Black, the ladies at the grocery store were Black. I got to see the super affluent to the struggling and everybody in between. So, I am grateful for that as a lot of people don’t have the privilege to experience Blackness in America in its entire spectrum.

What was the mood like on set as you created the series?

Sometimes in the creative space, it’s like, ok, so what ideas do you have as a Black person? It's this pressure to represent all Black people that feels inauthentic. But with this, there was camaraderie where we got to do our thing without any judgment. There is a language that Black people speak that’s not verbal, it's the way we know how to communicate thoughts and ideas. Working with my cousin, Phillip Swaray and then his cousin who is also Sierra Leonean, Abdul Bangura, there was an even deeper language that we got to speak on. Then there's India Mitchell and John Adams, so it was beyond us all being Black creatives; there’s a shared kinship and friendship.

In what ways does the project explore Afrofuturism?

I’m always kind of living in a fantasy world in a way, or what’s not being shown is where I try and move towards. We’re living in a Black Renaissance right now that is preparing us for this Black excellent future where we’re going to be doing things beyond our imagination. I wanted to dive into that a bit more, and if I can’t change what’s happening in this current moment, at least I can try to start change in the future by creating images that people can look back on as symbolic of their current time.

What would you like the viewer to take from DREAM?

For Black people, I would like them to know that it's okay to explore and experiment. I want them to create spaces for themselves. It might not look like DREAM but it's important to facilitate a community where you can express yourself. I want people to know that we are divine beings. We are beyond a body lying on the street that’s been targeted by the police and the limitations that have been projected onto us. We created DREAM from nothing; we weren’t given a budget. I was working at a restaurant every day, getting off work, going to stores to find clothing, finding props, location scouting with India, casting talent. You know, just dream and make it a reality.

What are your ambitions for Jusu Studios?

I’m still figuring it out, but I want to create intentional work that has more to say than just being a pretty picture. And I want to create room for people of colour in the industry because often times the people behind the scenes don’t reflect what is in front of the camera. So, I want Jusu Studios to be a pioneer.

This project poses the question ‘Does Reality Even Accept Me’? What does a reality that answers ‘yes’ look like?

It would be a reality where people are open, accepting and leave their judgment at the door. The freedom to just be and express, to cry and be vulnerable. I don’t think a lot of people feel safe to be their authentic selves. I don’t, I can say that. It takes a lot and there’s parts of myself that I won’t let people have access to, so yeah, it would be a safe space.