Wondrous Quotidian Black Lives: Liz Johnson Artur in Conversation

C&: You have traveled the world for your photography series. From what you saw, what are the defining differences and similarities of expressing Blackness?

Liz Johnson Artur: I try to take my pictures wherever I am…I don’t carry a camera all the time… but if I do carry one, I am looking out for people… for me every person counts and what I look out for is a sense of “Self” in a person… as a photographer I try to catch a moment of “Self Presentation”… observing Black communities for the last 30 or so years… I believe that how a Black person presents themselves is part of their “Survival Kit”… the difference for me is in the individuality of the “Self”.

C&: You have Russian and Ghanaian ancestry. How do you negotiate your identity? What do you do when people expect you to justify or prove any part of it?

LJA: Who I am is what is familiar to me… it sometimes surprises people… but it’s normal to me… I don’t prove myself… but I do have some good stories to tell…

C&: What have been people’s reactions to your project? What were your interactions like with the people you photographed?

LJA: I like to think that my encounters with people are based on… ”One to One”… when I started out… I felt very shy approaching people… through the years I learned that showing interest in a human being is the main reason why I take photographs and why I want to dedicate my archive to these moments… in terms of reactions… even after all this time… I am still very touched when a stranger allows me to take their photograph.

C&: How have you seen your work as an artist morph from your early years, both technically and conceptually?

LJA: I started my archive without any concept… I was hungry to meet people… and my camera opened up the chance to dive right in… technically… when I am on the street… I try to travel light… but looking back, I guess I was always driven by the idea of creating photographs that will withstand the test of time… my cameras are still the same as when I started out… what has changed… is that I take what I do very seriously… my archive is the source for my artistic work.

www.lizjohnsonartur.co.uk

The Aimia | AGO Photography Prize jury selected four international finalists including Hank Willis Thomas. The public voting ends on 5 November 2017. You can vote onlineHERE