Theo Gould
Lisbon, Portugal
About my work
Having Kenyan heritage, I've always found myself drawn to both Africa and the African diaspora, particularly with a view to challenging the typical stereotypes the West has come to confer on people of colour. My work documents elements of the black experience and how it varies from culture to culture. These photos taken in São Tomé & Príncipe, Cuba and Portugal are part of three separate projects with very different subject matters, but hold in common the diverse nature of black experience within distinct societies.
Biography
The manner in which Theo found photography has stuck with him. Leaving London for Colombia, Theo taught himself how to use a camera as a means to communicate with people whose language he could not speak. In this way, photography became the tool by which he was able to have meaningful conversations with people about their lives and that helped him to understand his new surroundings. As a result, Theo’s photography is notably human-centric.
Theo has an extraordinary commitment to his responsibility as an artist and photographer. Through his pictures he tells stories that unite the family of man. These stories respect the people in them and bring us back to the core idea that we are all one.
The impact of Theo’s years studying Philosophy before he fell in love with his camera is always present in his photography. His personal philosophy in life is borne out of the premise that the greatest luxury in life is the luxury of simplicity. His preferred black and white aesthetic is a metaphor for life. He believes the world is not binary, but rather it is played out in shades of grey.
Contact
All images on this page are © by Theo Alexander Ndegwa Gould and not to be used, published or downloaded without permission