Paper size: 44.09 x 44.09 in (112 x 112 cm)
Taken in 2005 as part of his ‘Wild Honey Collectors, Techiman District, Ghana’ series, this image of worker Kwadwo Konado is hauntingly beautiful in its distinctive focus on the individual. The honey collectors, barely garbed in any protective gear aside from a half-fashioned mask and long sleeved clothing, risk themselves daily by attacking bee hives in order to procure the honey within. Here, the masked man in a Mickey Mouse shirt stands in stark contrast to the sumptuous jungle surrounding him, juxtaposing the influence of man upon the organic environment he inhabits in order to make a living.
South African photographer and film maker Pieter Hugo (b. 1976) is known for his powerful images which are humanistic portrayals with a political undertone. Having gained notoriety for his ‘Hyena Men of Nigeria’ and his ‘Wild Honey Collectors’ series of 2005, Hugo investigates the inherent issues that arise throughout the African continent. As a self-taught artist, the artist is part of a post-apartheid generation which looks to question investigate identity, his visually arresting work has captured a range of themes including Aids victims in their coffins, the genocide fields of Rwanda, football fans in animal masks, and trash dumps in Ghana. The artist has received numerous awards including the Young Director Award (Cannes Lions Festival), First Prize in the World Press Photo 2005 competition, the Discovery Award (Arles Festival), and the Young Photographer Award (Getty Images). Hugo’s work has been featured in multiple exhibitions internationally with shows at The Hague Museum of Photography (The Hague, NL), Helsinki Museum of Contemporary Art (Helsinki, Finland), Victoria and Albert Museum (London, UK), and Aperture Gallery (New York, NY).
Select Public Collections:
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY)
Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY)
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (San Francisco, CA)
V&A Museum (London, UK)
South African National Gallery (Cape Town, South Africa)
