UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 14 OCTOBER 2019
Recent BA (Hons) Photography graduate Nyima Jarju Jarju was selected by leading industry professionals to feature in Source Magazine’s Graduate Photography Showcase 2019.
Source is Ireland’s leading photography magazine and its Graduate Photography Showcase highlights emerging photographic talent from BA Photography courses across the UK and Ireland. It offers a unique opportunity for photography graduates to have their work viewed by respected figures within the photography sector.
Nyima explores social, political and cultural issues through photography and her work focuses on photographing Afrocentric features, with the purpose of showing the beauty of dark skin. Using factual information and her personal experience as a black woman, her project ‘The beauty of black skin’, which was selected for the Showcase, demonstrates the lack of diversity and representation of black culture in the media, and the effects it has on colourism.
Reflecting on her final year project, Nyima said:
Nyima believes that her attempt to change the standards of beauty by effectively communicating the message through photographs will empower black dark skin women and will have a positive impact on our society.
"It shows me the power that I have as an artist to challenge my audience’s thoughts and views, and it motivates me to carry on with this project and aim to have a bigger impact on a bigger audience. The outcome of this project has been greater than I could’ve imagined, and it has shaped me as an artist."
Nyima’s work was selected to feature in the Showcase by Hannah Watson, Director at Trolley Books. Other selectors for the Showcase included Kate Edwards (Picture Editor, Guardian Weekend) and Emma Lewis (Curator, Tate). Together they chose students to feature based on work that had been submitted to Graduate Photography Online, Source’s digital platform for students graduating from Photography courses.
Whilst reviewing work, Hannah was looking for an original story or theme with a cohesive visual narrative. She described Nyima’s work as ‘striking and bold, retro and contemporary’ and explained her reasons for choosing Nyima’s work:
"The make-up and styling is strong, and you also get a sense of the pride and identity which the photographer is trying to convey. They are skilled fashion portraits but with a relevant social content which goes deeper and makes the work much more interesting, so they could also be seen in a more fine art context as well as commercial."
Nyima was thrilled to be selected in Source’s Graduate Showcase and when asked whether she had any advice for student photographers she added that the key element of being a successful photographer is to focus on shooting something you’re very passionate about, as it naturally shows through your photographs.
If you’re interested in pursuing your own passion for photography take a look at our course pages or visit us at an Open Day.