Justin Keene

Justin is a documentary photographer based between London and South Africa. He holds a Philosophy MA from The University of Edinburgh and is currently on a part-time Documentary Photography Master’s at the University of South Wales. Justin's personal work explores concepts of identity and representation in South Africa, reviewing the ethics of photographic practice and its impact for contemporary art. His projects construct narratives to reflect on South Africa as a postcolony — exploring past and present effects on social and physical landscapes. As part of a research-based practice, Justin's current work looks at the importance of the family archive for interpreting visual media in contemporary contexts — exploring personal relationships with mining histories in South Africa.
Clients include Christian Dior, Malone Souliers, Nataal, Public Ambition and AWAY Travel

It Must Be Built From Ashes

Justin’s work reviews formal structures of image-making after a history of documentary realism in South Africa. His projects, It Must Be Built From Ashes and Being for the Other, challenge the mainstream media’s portrayal of young people across South Africa, creating an intimate social dialogue with communities and their youth to explore interpretations of home and a sense of belonging. Justin’s work brings into scrutiny the role of white South Africans today as a way of evaluating ideas around citizenship and place-related identity — challenging theories of representation to create a renewed visual economy for young South Africans. Justin’s work aims to confront the ethics of viewership in South Africa by questioning our global presence in the production of a postcolony whilst interpreting a sense of self in modern-day South Africa.

To view more of Justin Keene’s work please visit their website.