South London photographer Gabriel Moses’ first exhibition, Regina, is located two staircases down, in a long windowless room that has been painted black. There’s a giant white cross in the far corner, next to a poem scrawled across the wall that starts, “Mumsy, It was never mine, Always ours.”
Lining the walls are around 50 photographs from across his short but dazzling career; the self-taught photographer was only 18 when Nike offered him his first directing role. Now, just a few years later, and numerous magazine and brand contracts later, his debut exhibition is being held at 180 The Strand.
It’s easy to see why Moses has experienced such meteoric success: each of his photos is utterly beguiling. While many are fashion images, Moses has a knack for making his photos simultaneously work as a commentary on family, memory, culture and women. Some of his subjects sprawl across the floor, some are contorted into odd poses, others look the camera straight on – and his women are all decisively strong.
His signature of deep, rich and densely pigmented shades remains consistent throughout; stark but rich monochrome interrupted and contrasted with a shock of turquoise, lime green or red. There are portraits of celebrities: Zinedine Zidane and Pharell Williams have never looked so good as in Moses’ intense tones – but these are the least interesting images.
Other images in the exhibition include two men dressed wearing cowboy hats – one laughs while the other holds a gun to his head; four young women who are seated, staring straight ahead – their white lace dresses contrasting against the heavy green background; elsewhere two women lie on a black rug, gazing fiercely at the camera.
Two beautiful films are the heart of the show: Regina, the name of Moses’ studio, and Ijó, a name used to describe people who inhabit the Niger delta. Regina is made up of short video clips taken from various photoshoots – some of the still images from those shoots are also hung around the gallery. But somehow Moses’ subjects are even better in motion: the colours remain as exquisite and deep toned, but he has fun with his models and friends as they move from a pose to another: one suddenly screams, another smokes, another picks up a phone.
Ijó is more cohesive. The film, which was commissioned by 180 Studios, focuses on a group of young ballet dancers at an academy in Lagos, some of whom dance together in a studio, some of whom practice a routine outside.
The film also features some of the boys from the academy sitting together and talking, and a mother figure sitting with her ballet dancer son, first in a living space, then in their dance studio. The series of vignettes very clearly speak to Moses’ inspirations, which include black-and-white ancestral photography from artists such as Malian photographer Malick Sidibé, Moses’ family and his Nigerian heritage. But although the storyline is ambiguous, with some of the slowly unfolding scenes being highly choreographed, others more natural, the film delivers a moving exploration of childhood and motherhood, ambition and family. The aural experience is just as affecting, with a moody score composed by James William Blades’ studio.
Regina isn’t just for fashion fans: the exhibition’s images transport you far beyond the clothes and the sets. And what’s most exciting about the stunning collection, is that this is really only the very beginning for Moses.
