Originally from Namibia, Kyle Weeks (b. 1992) attended the Stellenbosch Academy, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in photography in 2013. While living in Cape Town, he co-founded Cape Collective Assist, a cooperative that facilities a range of development programs for aspiring photographers in the city. Weeks now lives and works between Europe and Africa. Weeks’ oeuvre is characterized by his ability to overturn aesthetic stereotypes. By prioritizing the lived experiences of a diverse group of individuals, he maintains his subjects’agency while fulfilling his role as a creative photographer. This method ringstrue in his personal practice, where Weeks challenges the traditional relationship between subjects and documentary im-age-makers, touching on the pervasive nature of colonial dynamics. His most recent series, Palm Wine Collectors, presents the Makalani palm harvesters of northern Namibia’s Kunene Region, offering a subversive alternative to voyeuristic documentary stylings. Between 2012 and 2014, Weeks also produced the portrait series Ovahimba Youth Self-Portraits, a body of work that acts as a visual commentary on the longstanding colonial photographic methods used to depict Africans. These personal pursuits seamlesslyinfluence Weeks’ fashion and culture commissions, which are celebrated for their unflinching departure from mainstream, whitewashed fashion advertising byfeaturing unbothered presentations of diverse faces and personalities.
Solo Exhibitions
2 0 1 6 National Art Gallery of Namibia
2 0 1 4 'Ovahimba Youth Self Portraits' - Joburg Art Fair
Group Exhibitions
2021 Les Nouveaux Romantiques @ Dover Street Market Paris
Galerie Number 8 x Farago Projects
2 0 1 9 AKAA art fair Paris- Galerie Number 8
2 0 1 9 Unseen Amsterdam - Red Hook Labs
2 0 1 9 Labs New Artists III - Red Hook Labs - NYC
2 0 1 9 Truth - iD - Belfast Photo Festival
2 0 1 9 Cape Town Art Fair - Cape Town
2 0 1 8 ‘All That Man Is’ - Photo Vogue Festival - Milan
2 0 1 8 ‘Embracing Diversity’ - Photo Vogue Festival - Milan
2 0 1 8 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair - London
2 0 1 8 Photo London - London
2 0 1 8 'MIA' Photo Fair - Milan
2 0 1 7 'Visions' - Photo Vogue Festival - Milan
2 0 1 7 Unseen Amsterdam - Red Hook Labs
2 0 1 7 'My Collection' - MoCADA - NYC
2 0 1 7 'New African Photography II' - Red Hook Labs - NYC
2 0 1 7 IPF Photo Prize 2017 - London
2 0 1 6 Huck Magazine 'Never Ending Truth's' - 71a - London
2 0 1 5 Johannesburg Art Fair
2 0 1 5 'AVAMP' - National Art Gallery of Namibia
2 0 1 4 Cape Town Art Fair
2 0 1 3 'In the Shadow of the Rainbow' - Joburg Art Fair
Nominations
2023 Cap Prize (Contemporary African Photography Prize) 2023 - shortlisted
2 0 1 9 British Journal of Photography - Ones to Watch - Talent Issue
2 0 1 7 Creative Review Zeitgeist Award
2 0 1 7 I.P.F Photo Prize 2nd place
2 0 1 6 Magnum Photography Awards, Winner, Fine Art
2 0 1 4 Mack First Book Award Nominee