The colour black has more negative connotations than positive ones. Across cultures, it is a colour that can symbolise mourning or death, fear and suffering. Photographer Yannis Davy Guibinga visually reimagines all these associations in The Darkest Colour, an astounding series that marries exceptional portraiture and poetic symbolism.
Against the overwhelming darkness, the young photographer introduces two figures to represent Life and Death, in male and female forms respectively. We see them interacting together – Death as a stealthy or dominating presence; Life, either submissive or resistant. Amidst themes of struggle and acceptance, Guibinga reinvestigates and redefines stereotypes about death and its associated colour. “Rather than being seen as a tragedy, The Darkest Colour aims to reimagine the inevitable act of dying as a peaceful rest after the intense and sometimes turbulent journey that is Life,” he says.
Guibinga, originally from Gabon and now based in Montreal, explores cultural identities and diversity on the African continent and its diaspora in his work. More on his website and Instagram.
Photography © Yannis Davy Guibinga / with permission
Models: Tania Fines & Madjou Diallo
Bodypainting: Jean Guy Leclerc