Pretoria - in case you were sleeping and unaware of photographer Blunt Moya over the years, you can still play catch- up in just one exhibition.
Moya, born Karabo Makole, from Mabopane in Tshwane, is no novice to the photography world. He entered it after a fashion designer friend asked him to shoot his show.
“I got behind the lens and never looked back,” he said.
He has managed to pull off four thought-provoking exhibitions in his tenure - #TheSuitcase, #IgaveYouLife, #ClosetIsForClothes and #WeAre
Human.
But his latest offering, #BlackBoysDream, combines all the exhibitions he has been part of since 2016, which includes two solo projects and two collaborations.
There are various themes and concepts within the exhibition: mothers, women, LGBTIQ, men, children and street photography.
“This exhibition is a culmination of all my previous exhibitions because some people might have missed one, and now this is the only chance to get them in one space,” he said.
Moya said he was hoping to assist in the different aspects associated with body-shaming, gender roles, motherhood and other pressing social challenge and gender stigmas.
The portraits are black and white, which lends a certain timeless quality to the images.
A glance at the exhibition, without the distraction of colour, provides
a stronger emotional connection to the subjects.
But not only is the whole exhibition visually appealing, it also encompasses an all-round sensory art fusion.
The exhibition also consists of other art forms, from poetry to dance, live bands and theatre.
“It’s about awakening all senses in one exhibition. It’s a journey and an expedition under one roof,” he said.
The work stems from:
#TheSuitcase: This told stories of hardships faced by women on a daily basis, from a man’s point of view. It was also a platform for women to speak about the ills of society towards them as a whole, regardless of race and sexual preferences
#IgaveYouLife: This project documented the journey of motherhood, from pregnancy to birth. “The aim was to capture the physical and emotional changes endured by women during motherhood. How they see themselves and how men see them.”
#ClosetIsForClothes: A thought- provoking LGBTIQ photography exhibition about human sexuality, binaries and boxes, aimed at educating the general public and tackling social issues surrounding stigmas.
#WeAreHuman: This is a paint and photography exhibition about the hardships faced by men, and also how society as a whole is at fault regarding how human beings behave and ridicule one another because of gender, race, employment, skin tone and disability.
The exhibition is on from 9am-5pm at the Opera Marble Foyer of the State Theatre, Pretoria and ends on Sunday.