Afrogile is a must-see project

The team at Gritty Vibes is delighted a present a new visual story entitled “Afrogile”, created by Parisian Artistic Director & photographer Bamby Diagne. Originally from Dakar in Senegal, Bamby Diagne is a multidisciplinary artist who progressed to photography and video after initially starting out in graphic design during his course in artistic direction at the Internet and Multimedia Institute. He fell in love with photography through urban exploration and has carved out a distinct aesthetic to call his own. Read below for Bamby’s description of this project, and scroll through the gallery to take in this impactful work.

Artist Statement: “Up until now, the black body has been just as hindered as it has been admired. In that wide spectrum of emotions and ambivalence its sight arouses, “Afrogile” highlights a precise characteristic of that body, which is also struck by numerous limits. It is on the basis of this observation that the project was created.

The name stems from a wordplay between “Afro”, “Agility” and “Fragility”; keywords that sums up the genesis of the project in the most efficient way. Indeed, African hairstyles are, still nowadays, perceived as “extra” or “fanciful”. Very poorly appreciated in the professional world, it is still complicated for black women, to be able to wear those hairstyles freely, in all circumstances, even keeping in mind that they are more fitted to their natural hair texture.

The visual concept of Afrogile revolves around the repurposing of elements such as bubble wrap, plastic wrap or protective foam, initially used for the protection and transportation of objects, and transform them into accessories for these various hairstyles. It was also really important for the team, during the creative process, to mold a project filled with optimism. Agility is one of the strength of Africain hair. Its multiple possibilities, its extreme malleability are qualities not to neglect in a society that still struggles to accept it in its entirety. Identity is also something to reaffirm by the way we style our hair and it is one of the aspects “Afrogile” aimed to put forward. These women convey their aura through their hairstyles. This uniqueness and diversity has to be accepted, celebrated and protected.