{"id":176433059,"date":"2014-02-28T23:06:21","date_gmt":"2014-03-01T05:06:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/?p=176433059"},"modified":"2014-02-28T23:06:21","modified_gmt":"2014-03-01T05:06:21","slug":"video-barbara-minishi-photographer-kenya-exploring-her-own-unique-visual-dna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/2014\/02\/28\/video-barbara-minishi-photographer-kenya-exploring-her-own-unique-visual-dna\/","title":{"rendered":"VIDEO: Barbara Minishi, photographer (Kenya): exploring her own \u2018unique visual DNA\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thisisafrica.me\/static\/img\/site-header-logo.png\" width=\"588\" height=\"60\" \/><br \/>\nTUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: xx-large;\">Barbara Minishi, <\/span><\/h3>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: xx-large;\">photographer (Kenya): <\/span><\/h3>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: xx-large;\">exploring her own <\/span><\/h3>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: xx-large;\">\u2018unique visual DNA\u2019<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\">by\u00a0<b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thisisafrica.me\/writers\/detail\/70\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Jorrit Dijkstra<\/span><\/a><\/b><\/span><\/span>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<article>\n<div id=\"tab-0\">\n<div id=\"attachment_176433060\" style=\"width: 607px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/barbara-minishi.jpg\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-176433060\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-176433060 \" alt=\"Barbara Minishi\" src=\"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/barbara-minishi.jpg\" width=\"597\" height=\"336\" srcset=\"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/barbara-minishi.jpg 853w, http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/barbara-minishi-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 597px) 100vw, 597px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-176433060\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: small;\"><strong>Barbara Minishi<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\"><strong>African photography is on the rise. From street to art photography, conceptual and documentary to fashion photography, homegrown photographers (not only in the Francophone-African countries) are increasingly stepping up to show their world what they see when they look through the lens, following decades of photographic misrepresentation, or reduction, by observers from outside the continent.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\">In this\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thisisafrica.me\/writers\/detail\/70\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">fortnightly series<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<em>This is Africa<\/em>\u00a0will spotlight some of these photographers. This week:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/barbaraminishiphotography.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Barbara Minishi<\/span><\/a>\u00a0from Kenya.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5ydseuny9vs?rel=0\" height=\"242\" width=\"430\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\">Barbara Minishi shoots from instinct. \u2018I immerse myself in my work and stay open to surprises\u2019, she explains. \u2018It\u2019s easy to get set in a particular way of doing things, but I find that by following what I\u2019m curious and excited about, and therefore what challenges me, I grow.\u2019 What she\u2019s scared about, the unknown, for instance, galvanises her. \u2018That fear, a certain kind of vulnerability is necessary.\u2019<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thisisafrica.me\/data\/thumb\/abc_media_image\/7000\/7637\/w430.68de7_83101554b53b3a618c38502d300dd4bb.jpg\" width=\"430\" \/>\u00a0<em>SOPHIE<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\">Minishi first came in contact with photography at an early age, when she played around with her father\u2019s camera. At university she primarily shot as a way to avoid participating in other activities, but her work got noticed by the uni\u2019s PR-department and she got hired as a photographer for the school paper. \u2018I didn&#8217;t realise it was what I really wanted to do as a career until I had a \u2018eureka!\u2019 moment a week after graduation. I realised photography was what drove me and held my interest. With it I had a voice and could focus on the subjects I wanted to show the world.\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thisisafrica.me\/data\/thumb\/abc_media_image\/7000\/7636\/w430.68de7.jpg\" width=\"430\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\">After an internship with one of the few photographers in Nairobi with whom she shared the same vision with respect to photography, Minishi started shooting her own documentary stories, teaching and challenging herself by just doing it because the schools to which she applied for further training charged steep fees. \u2018Photography is a daily learning process that I got on Nairobi\u2019s streets\u2019, says Minishi. \u2018I just love watching, observing and noticing, witnessing the ordinary and capturing that. Whether it be in fashion, commercial, documentary, art or portraiture, I relish the act of creating a strong constructive element, the ability to tell stories, the freedom to explore concepts and to challenge clich\u00e9s.\u2019 Photography is for her Minishi a playground that provides her with an audience and a chance to re-imagine, connect and learn.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thisisafrica.me\/data\/thumb\/abc_media_image\/7000\/7635\/w430.68de7.jpg\" width=\"430\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\">\u2018There are no proper schools of photography here in Kenya, but I feel the concept of visual literacy needs to be incorporated into our educational system as we are all sensitive to visual nuance and sometimes images get misconstrued.\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thisisafrica.me\/data\/thumb\/abc_media_image\/7000\/7634\/w430.68de7.jpg\" width=\"430\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\">While she isn\u2019t solely concerned with changing opinions, she does find it odd whenever someone says her images \u201cdon\u2019t look Kenyan,\u201d particularly as Kenya is where she grew up and went to school, and she mostly shoots Kenyans in Kenya. \u2018Some people get really surprised by the calibre of my work, and by my aesthetic and manner of working, and assume it\u2019s because of foreign influences. However, it\u2019s the opposite that\u2019s true. I focus on different subjects, and I think these do not automatically equate to being in one place. Sometimes getting out of your zone or circle of influence provides the opportunity to look at things from a different way.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thisisafrica.me\/data\/thumb\/abc_media_image\/7000\/7633\/w430.68de7.jpg\" width=\"430\" \/>\u00a0<em>Kikoromeo<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\">About one thing Minishi is really clear: that her vision is not based on a quest. People can interpret her work however they want, whether they choose to view it as a sort of movement or not. \u2018It\u2019s their assumption but not my reality,\u2019 she points out. \u2018Maybe it\u2019s because for too long a certain kind of image of Africa was mostly seen and now that there are more and more African photographers doing their own visionary work the rest of the world is starting to notice and calling it as a \u2018quest\u2019. I don\u2019t think it is. I believe it\u2019s simply photographers doing what they want to do and more people being receptive to our work.\u2019 As a result she feels people sometimes get stuck discussing and analysing viewpoints about photography from Africa and forget that life is going on. \u2018I would rather shoot more quality photographs than talk about the lopsided view. I\u2019m really not concerned about cementing myself in the past.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thisisafrica.me\/data\/thumb\/abc_media_image\/7000\/7632\/w430.68de7.jpg\" width=\"430\" \/>\u00a0<em>Anil Padia shoot<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\">Sometimes however the rising photographer feels that she does get stuck in a \u2018victim\u2019 mentality as she talks too much about the past and external negative factors. \u2018I forget that we are in the present, the now. Of course there\u2019s history, but I can\u2019t carry this around like excess luggage all the time and use it to justify how and why I shoot images. I have learned from it and still do, but don\u2019t want to stay focused on it anymore. Learn from the past and move on, just like you deal with other difficulties. Use it to your advantage!\u2019 No wonder her aim is to broaden her horizon and work worldwide, a goal she\u2019s clearly already taking little steps towards.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thisisafrica.me\/data\/thumb\/abc_media_image\/7000\/7631\/w430.68de7.jpg\" width=\"430\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\">Asked how she\u2019d like to portray Kenya, she shrugs: \u2018Kenya is what it is. Truth is subjective and my truth is not necessarily that of others. So I don\u2019t want to concoct any kind of image about my country.\u2019 Her opinion about the development and limitations of photography in Kenya are just as clear: \u2018Limitations exist based on an individual and how they view the world\u2019, she says. \u2018Pondering it doesn\u2019t change anything and with the resources I have I am developing myself as best as I can. Of course I don\u2019t have all the equipment, tools, or access or outreach I want, but this doesn\u2019t stop me. I do what I can with what I have.\u2018 Whether the continent\u2019s rising economy is being reflected in the popularity of photography in Kenya is for her also a non-issue: \u2018It has always been popular in Africa, irrespective of the economical status. Same for Kenya.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thisisafrica.me\/data\/thumb\/abc_media_image\/7000\/7630\/w430.68de7.jpg\" width=\"430\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\">She sees the photography scene growing nonetheless, and she finds it \u2018exciting and dynamic\u2019. But she is careful about looking at other photographers\u2019 work, in order to stay unique. \u2018The challenge is always to create a cohesive story. Sometimes it happens, other times not.\u2019 That there is a difference in the way situations are portrayed is natural, she believes. \u2018Some people choose one angle, others another. I\u2019m not grading another photographers work on what they may have failed to see and then take it on as my responsibility to get another opinion out to the international market.\u2018 And it\u2019s not solely an African or non-African issue. \u2018Both have their own failures, and I know that there are also foreigners who are indeed telling honest and beautiful stories about our continent.\u2019<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thisisafrica.me\/data\/thumb\/abc_media_image\/7000\/7629\/w430.68de7.jpg\" width=\"430\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: medium;\">Minishi stresses the point that her aim is not expressly to be different from other Kenyan or foreign photographers for the sake of standing out. Rather, it\u2019s a lifelong process of exploring her own \u2018unique visual DNA\u2019. \u2018I believe following what you are attracted to irrespective of what others say or do is the way to work. Of course you can learn from constructive criticism and get inspired by others photographers\u2019 work, but I think it\u2019s brilliant to have our different backgrounds influence our storytelling.\u2019 What that will mean for her in the future is unknown. \u2018The present is changing as the seconds tick by\u2019, she says. \u2018Therefore I focus on growing now, exploring and developing my vision on Kenya and the way to show this to the outside world though all manners possible.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&gt;via:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thisisafrica.me\/visual-arts\/detail\/20020\/barbara-minishi-photographer-kenya-exploring-her-own-unique-visual-dna\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.thisisafrica.me\/visual-arts\/detail\/20020\/barbara-minishi-photographer-kenya-exploring-her-own-unique-visual-dna<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2013 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Barbara Minishi, photographer (Kenya): exploring her own \u2018unique visual DNA\u2019 &nbsp; &nbsp; by\u00a0Jorrit Dijkstra&nbsp; African photography is on the rise. From street to art photography, conceptual and documentary to fashion photography, homegrown photographers (not only in the Francophone-African countries) are increasingly stepping up to show [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","_s2mail":"yes"},"categories":[6],"tags":[4,12,11],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176433059"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176433059"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176433059\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":176433085,"href":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176433059\/revisions\/176433085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176433059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176433059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176433059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}