William Ukoh
WILLY UKOH ENGAGES COMMUNITY, INGENUITY, AND LEVITY TO MAKE LOVINGLY ORCHESTRATED IMAGES THAT FOREGROUND AND CELEBRATE BLACK REPRESENTATION, MODELS, PORTRAITURE, AND STORYTELLING.
William’s personal and professional body of work is vital and dynamic, with a playful mastery of virtual and actual mise-en-scene which achieves a whole much greater than the sum of its parts. Over the years his photography practice has expanded to combine collaging, set-building, and post-production digital techniques that work to achieve his vision of excellence. Drawing influences from a range of creative mediums, William’s energized images convey his vivid imagination for art direction, which aligns with him being a keen and reflective student of art history. (For more along these lines: William and his work have been previously profiled and featured by VICE, in conversation with writer Connor Garel, where they discuss and explore William’s photographic style in relation to Renaissance painting, race, and representation in more and better detail.) Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, William is currently based in Toronto, Canada. Over email, William wrote to TSUKI about the background and origins of this project (of which this suite published here is a sample) and about his life and work under quarantine.
WHAT IS THE LARGER CONTEXT OF THIS ONGOING PROJECT?
This is part of a larger project, one where I explore a theory I have on community: that right now, community is a stronger, and in some cases, more dangerous force than love. In this series I explore the communities of family and friendship. Questions to meditate on are: What is family to you? Who is your family? What role has your family played in your life?
HOW DO YOU CREATE AT HOME? HOW HAS THIS BEEN DIFFERENT FROM YOUR REGULAR PROCESS?
I haven't created much during this period. I have been able to catch up on a lot of editing, which is what I typically do at home. My creative process is usually based outside or in the studio.
HAS THIS SITUATION ENCOURAGED OR EVEN DEMANDED YOU TO TRY SOMETHING NEW?
I've taken advantage of the time this situation has afforded me to pick up 3D modelling. It's also been a good opportunity to rethink and restructure my approach to creating work.
ARE THERE ANY POSITIVE (OR NEGATIVE) CHANGES YOU CAN SEE COMING OUT OF THIS SITUATION?
Positive? It's hard to say. You'd hope people come out of this with a sense of clarity, and energy. Everyone's situation is different, so it's impossible to say the effect this would have. It's something we will discover and adapt to. On an industrial level, I hope different industries rethink their contribution(s) to "excess". We might also expect more automation, which would unfortunately lead to loss of jobs.
HOW ARE YOU STAYING INSPIRED AND MOTIVATED?
I set daily goals, non negotiable, and some interchangeable. Having a routine helps keep me motivated, and relatively sharp.
HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING / LISTENING / READING ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH US?
I've been watching a lot of anime. One I particularly enjoyed was “Psycho Pass.” It's set in a world where policing is ultimately done by computers, by way of psych evaluations. It presents the pros and cons of a "perfect" system, one where all the nuances of human judgement has given way to logic. Also, this Instagram live lecture by Lupe Fiasco. In response to the current policing problem in America, he proposes possible solutions. He also poses a theory of "strategic exodus" for black Americans.