Geofrey offers conceptualised photography
Oleosi Kgosi | Friday April 6, 2018 13:52
According to the artist, the colour of Coca Cola matches the African skin colour and that is where the concept is derived from. His genre is a narrative and tells stories through photography, particularly stories of dark African skin tones. He stated that #CokeSkin is a build-up to a photography book he is currently working on. Being black to him means, “I am Beautiful, Present, Bold and Important”, he said.
He added that for a long time and even up to date, people still discriminated against black people, hence he believes Africans are important and relevant.
Geofrey said that he started photography about seven years ago, but has been running it for four years as a professional business. He said that he had a solo exhibition last month based on #CokeSkin. He also showcased at Mmina Gaebonwe’s The Arts and Creative workshops and at I AM AFRICA Showcase last year.
The passionate photographer said that he stands out from other artists because he celebrates African, specifically black skin. “I aspire to own an African inspired monthly publication,” he said. He added that he loves Botswana and wants the world to see Botswana as a bastion of creative artists.
He said that the feedback from people is amazing, that they are fascinated but did not realise that #CokeSkin means black skin. Describing the artistry scenery in Botswana, he said it is developing and there are more artists coming up.
He highlighted that as an artist, he faces challenges of funding the production costs. “I solve this by sending sound proposals and when I pitch, I always have to make sure that what I propose is relatable and comprehensive,” he said.
He added that in order to develop and stimulate artistry growth in Botswana, there should be more exhibitions to expose artists to potential markets.