The Beauty of Purpose

Artist's Statement from Gifty Sogah:

"My name is Gifty Sogah and I am a nineteen years old Togolese immigrant based in Georgia. Being raised in African culture, the youth is discouraged from pursuing art because it is not a field understood or respected by older generations. For this reason, my photography journey has been lonesome due to lacking peers in my age group and culture. I struggled for years to determine the purpose of my work because it was never ingrained in me by my culture to value creativity and art. How do you find value within yourself when you struggle to find purpose? I have yet to answer that question because truthfully, I am still in the process of creating work that is meaningful to me as an artist.

My piece is a collective work I have been creating for months. These photos are significant to me because they are pieces I saw my purpose in. I felt a sense of love and pride in capturing beauty in black women. Additionally, photographing individuals from the black community has unconsciously helped me develop a greater sense of love for myself as a black woman. I was driven to create this collection because my ultimate intention is to be able to look back at the end of my journey and say that I found purpose within myself. "

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Photography: Gifty Sogah

Models: Lisa Kouassi, Deiera Washington, Vanessa Irie, Ruth Irie