Please note that this projection can only be viewed from outside the ICP Museum and is most visible after sunset.

With mainstream media often perpetuating one-dimensional viewpoints of African fashion and culture, these industries have developed a renaissance among young people in West Africa who want to create their own standards and representations.

Formless is a fashion editorial series by Amarachi Nwosu and developed with stylist Daniel Obasi in Lagos, Nigeria for Contributor Magazine. Although traditional beliefs often reproduce gender roles and norms that force men and women into their own boxes, these images express an alternate reality where men and women are no longer divided by unrealistic expectations of gender and social constructs, but are connected by what is at their core as human beings. The project infuses “masculine” and “feminine” attributes in both the male and female subjects using pieces made exclusively by African designers, including Orange Culture, Iamisigo, and Gozel Green.

Nwosu shares reflections on her work in an interview with curator Wesley Verhoeve.

About the Artist

Amarachi Nwosu is a Nigerian-American self-taught photographer, filmmaker, and writer. With a background in international communications, she has worked with a number of brands and companies in cities such as Lagos, Tokyo, New York, and London.

As a writer and visual artist, Nwosu is dedicated to telling unique stories that bring identity and culture to light. Her work has been featured on CNN Africa, Amuse, i-D, MTV and VICE. She has also produced and shot social campaigns for brands like Adidas Tokyo, which included the first woman of African descent to be featured on their Instagram account. Her passion for giving back has also allowed her to work with the London-based women's rights group Equality Now and as a program ambassador for D&AD New Blood Shift.