Notable contributions to the public archive are far and few between.
A genuine offering to cement a moment in time in the annals of immortality, an offering to be cherished forever whether it be theatre, a dance routine or a painting.
Seeing a creator of any kind looking to bypass trends and notions of simply churning working out to bombard audiences with an immense output and viewership, the project being devoid of soul.
This is what drives Tshepiso Seleke who you may have heard referred to as The Dark Room Artist.
Tshepiso is a tentative and masterful photographer from Orlando East in Soweto who specialises in being a fly on the wall and capturing the soul of the streets of Johannesburg. He has a new exhibition that has been a painstaking mission driven by the meticulous manner in which Tshepiso approaches his work.
This magnum opus is to be a holistic demonstration of this devotion.
“To put up this show, I was assisted by Andile Komanisi and the curator of the show Andrew Shabangu, the process was to compile the images that would mainly speak to the title of the show Mintirho Ya vulavula.”
When asked how he goes about deciding what to have in a frame Tshepiso says, “I believe that the subjects choose me, as I find myself drawn to them as a form of some spiritual connection.
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He also pays attention to the places and the scenes he captures.
"I always focus on are that where I feel there is a lot of hope and positive energy that enables people to push the boundaries," he expounds.
His exhibition is to be housed at the Umhlabathi Collective at the Bus factory Newtown. This venue is home to a collective of photographers who are looking to share their stories with the world.
The pieces he selected for this show were compiled from the beginning of his photographic journey to date.
“The theme explored is that a person’s deeds speak louder than their words and I hope the viewer will draw hope, believe and persevere in their journey.”
His brand of hope comes with a hefty price tag but one that fits the quality of his work with his wears ranging in price from R4 000 to R55 000.
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And as for how Tshepiso goes about engineering these stirring collector's items, “I work within an imagined space of a bittersweet reality of Black people having come this far but also not having gone anywhere at all, and I believe visiting the exhibition will enhance your perspective in regards to the daily [approaches to] our commuting journey.”
His passion may have gotten in the way at times with the main obstacle he had to overcome being his proclivity for perfectionism.
“[The challenge was] time and the struggle to select the work for the show. When planning a show, you always feel like there is not enough time. This exhibition is my first street photography solo show, so that’s a milestone in my books.”
The Dark Room Artist’s artworks are available at www.Thedarkroomartist.com
