Foto:Esther Ojo
“Social Norms and their visualizations often fail to depict certain realities of life. Elijah* Osakwe chooses a different path and generates diversity through inclusion and representation that should be standard by now.
Love and Dating far beyond social norms. Norms that get repeated constantly even though they do not represent a great number of people. Elijah* Osakwe takes a look on youth magazines and the genre of Foto-Lovestorys (photography love stories), which propagate an image that is not relatable and often discriminatory against the LGBTQIA+ community in particular. The artistic approach to create a Foto-Lovestory for people who are often left out of such pieces and take a collaborative approach in developing them. Mental health, disabilities and polyamorous relationships will be addressed, as will dating as a POC/BPOC and/or with obesity. Normative love is a construct, that will be challenged and dismantled in the upcoming project.”
The Concept
“If you wanna be my lover” tells stories of queer (non-) love and lust of those who are at the intersection of multiple marginalizations.
The goal is to produce a collection of 3 photo love stories that focus on stories that are affectionate, playful, authentic and intersectional.
The focus will be on topics like mental health, autism, disability, polyamorous relationships, needs and expectations, and how they how we can’t always live up to them, being black & of color and dating.
Stories that could happen like this everyday, everywhere, but are often invisible. Stories apart from performance pressure, idealized and normalized relationships and romanticized, abusive love.
Our personal stories, that radically question what “normal” romantic love is, the idea of a binary desire and white heteronormative relationships.
Because politics versus love and desire? Or rather ” you gotta get along with my radical intersectional beliefs if you wanna be my lover!”
Biography
Elijah* is a German born, Vienna based Afro-European person.
They grew up switching schools, homes and families.
So what is important enough to mention in a biography?
Moving to Austrian and being exposed to an even more conservative, right-wing society (compared to Germany) led to the need to connect with others and to be part of a community. The last years they spent most their time (besides working and learning) in queer_feminist_left_BPOC spaces. They are and were member of many activist groups.
At the moment Elijah* is focusing on counselling, work with LGBTQIA* youth and how to make spaces more accessible.