Description of photography :In this photograph, three bodies emerge from the darkness, sculpted by minimal light that reveals the texture of the skin and the intensity of their presence. The image explores the silent strength of human connection, the intimacy of bodies, and the tension between vulnerability and power. Each posture appears suspended, as if frozen in a shared breath. The deep contrast of black and white enhances the mystery and sensuality of the composition, drawing the viewer into the density of shadows and silences.
Description of the series : The Corps et Lumière series is a poetic exploration of human forms, movement, and presence. Inspired by contemporary dance and performance art, it questions the intimate relationship between the body, space, and light. Each photograph becomes a living sculpture, where silhouettes unfold, merge, or dissolve into darkness. Light is treated as a sculptural material, shaping visual narratives where the visible meets the invisible. The series reveals the expressive power of the human body and its fragile existence, caught between emergence and disappearance.
Yawo WODY’s photographic practice delves into the fluid relationship between the human body, space, and light. Guided by a constant pursuit of balance, elegance, and poetic resonance, his work transforms photography into a choreographic language where movement becomes narrative.
His series “Corps et lumière” (Body and Light) embodies this approach. Inspired by his passion for contemporary dance and enriched through collaborations with dancers and choreographers from various companies, the series unfolds in three chapters, questioning: the body’s relationship with time, its inscription in space, and the transformations of identity it undergoes.
WODY sculpts his subjects with light, using both natural and artificial sources to reveal subtle details of form, texture, and emotion. His black-and-white images, often set against deep, minimalist backgrounds, create a tension between appearance and dissolution. Each photograph becomes a visual narrative, where energy, intimacy, and abstraction coexist.
Beyond aesthetics, his work engages with social and political questions, reflecting on themes such as power dynamics, territoriality, identity, and the evolving state of the world. Through his lens, Yawo WODY invites viewers into a space where the human body becomes a living sculpture, oscillating between fragility and transcendence.
Yawo WODY is a self-taught photographer, exhibition curator, and artistic director based in Lomé, Togo. His visual universe explores the interactions between the body, light, and movement, drawing inspiration from contemporary dance and three-dimensional forms.
2025 – Venice Architecture Biennale (Italy) Featured in the Togo Pavilion, curated by the Palais de Lomé
2023 – AKAA Art Fair (Also Known As Africa), Paris Presented the series “Corps et lumière|Body and Light.”
2022 – Group Exhibition, Palais de Lomé (Togo).
2021 – Festival of Contemporary Arts, Cotonou, Benin.
2020 – Solo Exhibition “Ombres et Présences | Shadows and Presences,” Lomé.
