Artistic description of the photography : In this photograph, Yawo WODY explores the expressive power of the human body and the fragility of human connections. The composition captures three intertwined bodies, suspended between light and shadow, between presence and disappearance.
Through precise sculpting of light, the photographer reveals a poetic tension between strength and vulnerability. This image celebrates interconnectedness and the constant search for balance within an ever-changing space.
Artistic description of series : The Body and Light series is an exploration of the relationship between the body, time, and space. Inspired by contemporary dance, Yawo WODY collaborates with choreographers and dancers to capture fleeting moments where movement becomes language.
By mastering the interplay between shadow and illumination, he reveals the poetry of forms while questioning notions of identity, transformation, and presence. Each photograph becomes a visual narrative, where the body, freed from constraints, enters into dialogue with the invisible.
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.
