I was pleasantly caught off guard by the power in these images. I held my breath and failed to inhale. I found my way onto Omar Victor Diop’s website by clicking a link from an article I read. I was mesmerized. The images are palpable, they seem to penetrate your aura and leave you wanting to come to terms with what Omar Victor Diop is trying to say. Below is a small portion of his world that I (personally) find intoxicating. The images are a part of a project called “LIBERTY” — read more below…
Omar Victor Diop was born in Dakar in 1980. Since his early days, Omar Victor Diop developed an interest in Photography and Design, essentially as a means to capture the diversity of modern African societies and lifestyles.
LIBERTY: A universal Chronology of Black Protest
Thiaroye 1944
Selma 1965
Liberty recalls, interprets and juxtaposes moments of this Black protest differentiated by time, geography or size, placing them in the same chronology, that of a frantic quest for freedom.
Key dates abound; history of Black protest is rich, whether slave revolts, marches for emancipation and against apartheid movements for independence, or against police violence. Yet, very few think of a parallel between the chronology of protests on the continent and that of similar movements that have been initiated within the diaspora to concurrent periods …
The approach is allegorical, including the placement of symbolic elements, borrowed from the floral language. The tone of Liberty is not that of lamentation, but rather that of contemplation, solemnity, and celebration.
The series is currently at its finalization stage.
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This work is necessary during our now time. We can use these images to bring us into a conversation regarding the black struggle and black empowerment via a worldwide discussion. Art speaks a language many can relate to. It opens hearts and demands a creative soul to yearn for knowledge and answers. Bravo! Omar Victor Diop. Your work ignites a positive and powerful emotion resting in TRUTH!
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