"Being There," a collaboration between The Anonymous Project and self-portraitist Omar Victor Diop, sees the latter transported back in time and digitally inserted into intimate family photographs from 1950s and 60s America. <strong>Look through the gallery to see more.</strong>
"Being There," a collaboration between The Anonymous Project and self-portraitist Omar Victor Diop, sees the latter transported back in time and digitally inserted into intimate family photographs from 1950s and 60s America. Look through the gallery to see more.
The Anonymous Project/Omar Victor Diop
Conceived by British photographer and filmmaker Lee Shulman and Senegalese artist Diop, the edited photographs examine White privilege during an era when civil rights and segregation fought for the soul of America.
Conceived by British photographer and filmmaker Lee Shulman and Senegalese artist Diop, the edited photographs examine White privilege during an era when civil rights and segregation fought for the soul of America.
The Anonymous Project/Omar Victor Diop
Many of the images, culled from a vast collection of Kodachrome slides Shulman purchased online years ago, drop Diop into places in which Black people were often excluded.
Many of the images, culled from a vast collection of Kodachrome slides Shulman purchased online years ago, drop Diop into places in which Black people were often excluded.
The Anonymous Project/Omar Victor Diop
The slides offer an intimate view of family life. Shulman says he knows nothing about the people in the images, and the collaborators never decided whether Diop was playing someone who was welcome or gatecrashing each scenario.
The slides offer an intimate view of family life. Shulman says he knows nothing about the people in the images, and the collaborators never decided whether Diop was playing someone who was welcome or gatecrashing each scenario.
The Anonymous Project/Omar Victor Diop
Diop dressed in carefully selected period costumes in a studio setup mimicking the lighting of each photograph. Diop said he was reminded of his father, once an African student in 1950s Europe, and often the only person of color in social situations.
Diop dressed in carefully selected period costumes in a studio setup mimicking the lighting of each photograph. Diop said he was reminded of his father, once an African student in 1950s Europe, and often the only person of color in social situations.
The Anonymous Project/Omar Victor Diop
Though some of the events taking place in the images are distinctly everyday, Shulman says the fact they were captured by expensive photographic equipment is in itself a marker of class privilege.
Though some of the events taking place in the images are distinctly everyday, Shulman says the fact they were captured by expensive photographic equipment is in itself a marker of class privilege.
The Anonymous Project/Omar Victor Diop
Part of the inspiration behind the series was an empty chair in many photographs within The Anonymous Project – presumably vacated by the photographer in order to take the picture.
Part of the inspiration behind the series was an empty chair in many photographs within The Anonymous Project – presumably vacated by the photographer in order to take the picture.
The Anonymous Project/Omar Victor Diop
The project debuted at Paris Photo in late 2023 and has been turned into a coffee table book, comprising around 60 images.
The project debuted at Paris Photo in late 2023 and has been turned into a coffee table book, comprising around 60 images.
The Anonymous Project/Omar Victor Diop
Shulman and Diop were overwhelmed by the reception at the exhibition. “There was a South African lady who was really moved by an image,” recalled Diop. “It reminded her of her parents, who legally didn’t have the right to be together.”
Shulman and Diop were overwhelmed by the reception at the exhibition. “There was a South African lady who was really moved by an image,” recalled Diop. “It reminded her of her parents, who legally didn’t have the right to be together.”
The Anonymous Project/Omar Victor Diop
Shulman and Diop appear together just once, on the cover -- a White British Jew and a Black Senegalese man alone together, exploring America's broad horizons. "It really sums up a lot of the project for me,” said Shulman.
Shulman and Diop appear together just once, on the cover -- a White British Jew and a Black Senegalese man alone together, exploring America's broad horizons. "It really sums up a lot of the project for me,” said Shulman.
The Anonymous Project/Omar Victor Diop