Kwabena Sekyi, Capturing Stories of Boyhood Through his Lens
Updated: Jul 24, 2022
Kwabena Sekyi Appiah-Nti is a Belgium-Ghanian photographer who was born and raised in the Netherlands. Sekyi loves taking pictures of people who have a special look about them and he portrays this in vintage feel.
One can see that through his Photography he has a fascination with the universal experience of boyhood. He captures the day-to-day activities of boys and men through his eyes and camera lens. He loves the mix of a little bit of childhood interest and present fascination in the characters he photographs.
Sekyi is graduate of Communication & Multimedia Design at the HVA in Amsterdam. He participated in the foam talent in 2021, and in the same year he wrote the book Sika Kokoo, which presented contemporary Ghanaian culture and heritage in a new way. His work has appeared in publications such as I-D Nederland, Vrij Nederland, and NRC. Until three years ago Kwabena Sekyi visited Ghana to explore his father's culture, as well as a part of his identity.
Kwabena's warm and emotional photography sheds light on personal matters drawn from his own experiences as well as the persons he chooses to photograph. Previously, he released Golden Boy, a personal effort chronicling Black boyhood through an analogous and soft lens. "As an image-maker," he explains, "I got attracted by individuals in society who are frequently adversely judged, misunderstood, and stereotypically portrayed - a group I term the underdogs." With this in mind, Kwabena uses his camera to accurately reflect the "underdogs"
“Researching and documenting their behavior, I want to present the real expressions and essence of my subjects." He once said in an interview. It can be seen in his pictures that he often attempts to merge modern fashion and lifestyles with vintage Photography.
He has a photobook called Sika Kokoo which means "Red money" in the Ghanian Twi language. Sika Kokoo, his novel, chronicles his first experience with Ghana, his fatherland, and part of his identity.
He has always been proud to be Ghanaian, but he never knew much about Ghana or what went on in the country outside of what he was told by his father. What he heard in the news and what he observed occurring in the music industry. Since his visit, his relationship with the country has evolved greatly. Because while researching the history, symbolism, and culture for his book, he learned a lot and also learned from his visits.
He has worked with Manju Journal and Burberry for Black History Month UK to celebrate the Black identity. He worked with a whole team of Ghana-based artists and enjoyed every bit of it.