The Future's So Bright - what's behind the practice of skin-bleaching in Africa
The Future's So Bright - what's behind the practice of African skin-bleaching. 'Bright' is a slang term for light complexion in the African Diaspora. A powerful body of work by Gambian-born photographer, Diana Fine
skin-bleaching, Africa, beautification, Diana Fine, Helen Jones-Florio, online gallery, photography, documentary, portraits, color, colour, Gambia, West Africa, culture, art,
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The Future’s So Bright – African skin bleaching. Self-portraits © Diana Fine

'THE FUTURE'S SO BRIGHT' -DIANA FINE-SKIN BLEACHING PORTRAIT#1

01 Aug The Future’s So Bright – African skin bleaching. Self-portraits © Diana Fine

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‘The Future’s So Bright’

Self-portraits by Diana Fine

 ‘Bright’ is a slang term for light complexion in the African Diaspora

 

” ‘The Future’s So Bright’ represents my engagement with societal norms around
beauty and power in Africa; norms that incubated in the shadow of colonialism,
Western primacy and the aesthetic ideals that were perpetuated during that period.
These ideals of beauty continue to plague African societies and African women 
disproportionately, some six decades after we’ve regained our independence”
Read and see more on Diana’s website

Born in The Gambia, Diana Fine has lived in the U.K., Liberia, Pakistan,  and New York, and has traveled extensively around the globe.

 

'The Future's So Bright' - Image © Diana Fine. 'Bright' is a slang term for light complexion in the African Diaspora

‘The Future’s So Bright’ – Image © Diana Fine

 

‘The Future’s So Bright’

 

When Diana first sent me her press statement for ‘The Future’s So Bright‘, my immediate (visual) impact was ‘WOW! – such beautiful imagery‘. The composition, the vibrantly colored African fabrics, the beautiful woman… .  Diana’s self-portrait images almost lure the viewer into only seeing stylized, quirky, fashion shots of a very attractive dark/light-skinned woman. Yet, look beyond what you initially see, and the images belie a disturbing dark underbelly. Therefore, on reading about the subject matter, my perception of her gorgeous images was flipped, well and truly, upside down!

 

“The work explores identity modification, advertising’s inherent racial bias, and the toxic obsession with skin bleaching in Africa and the developing world. The images depict dark beauty, an uneasiness with the self, desperation and the disembodying effects of adherence to prescribed standards of beauty.” Diane Fine

 

'The Future's So Bright' - Image © Diana Fine. 'Bright' is a slang term for light complexion in the African Diaspora

‘The Future’s So Bright’ – Image © Diana Fine

 

I spend a lot of time working and living in Africa (predominantly, West Africa), so Diana’s work resonated considerably with me. I wrote back to her:

‘The whole skin-bleaching practice has always made me feel uncomfortable. Due to, mainly, I guess because I couldn’t understand why someone would do such a thing to themselves. All those boxes of skin-bleaching products piled up on the shelves in the bityco’s (local shops, in Gambia) and on market stalls, depicting ‘beautiful’ light-skinned women. What is that all about? Therefore, my discomfort and ignorance have been mostly confined to ‘what the hell does that stuff do to your skin?!’ However, your artist statement goes a long way to helping us understand why women do it. And, I think I can further understand – somewhat – when you see billboards advertising new housing developments for the ‘upwardly mobile’ Gambians portraying ‘the perfect family’ – i.e. very light-skinned, smiley, happy, West Africans – plastered up and down major highways‘ (in The Gambia).

In conclusion, on so many levels, this is such an incredible – and undoubtedly important – body of work. Huge thanks, to Diana, for allowing the HJF Gallery to showcase her work.

 

Founder | Curator

 

Follow us on Instagram – @florio_gallery – for daily photo updates from all the HJF Gallery photographers

 

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