Red is powerful, assertive and intense; according to Merriam-Webster, it is “a color whose hue resembles that of blood or of the ruby.” Featuring thirteen large-scale portraits of Ronis, a dark-skinned South Sudanese model, the series confronts viewers with striking images, each capturing the bold beauty of red contrasted against dark skin to explore love, power, war and religion.

Across the world, red represents different symbolism including purity, luck, mourning and pride. Within this context, the model’s own heritage and history is highlighted through interpretation of the Sudanese Wars layered alongside Biblical references, many being original figures that descent from Africa not traditionally represented in mainstream religion.

Through her focus on increased representation of dark-skin models, she challenges the fashion world and mainstream media which continue to struggle with the glaring absence of their representation on a global scale. As an African-American female photographer, her work highlights and showcases the regality of models who are even darker than what is typically considered as ‘diverse’ consumed in advertising. The bold compositions and deep hues in her photographs celebrate dark skinned models and their ‘God-like’ representation as deities.

Her work draws on the shared connections of humanity and captures beauty through people and their body language, reminding her subjects how beautiful they are in their imperfections, and in doing so, provide that sense of empowerment to her audience as well.

CURATED AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY: BRE’ANN WHITE AT PLAYGROUND DETROIT