The Dani _ Photographs by Guy Needham

Although they have existed for thousands of years, the Dani were unknown to the rest of the world until 1938. Today, they still hunt with bows and arrows in the Papua region of Indonesia and dress in traditional attire for celebrations, including the wearing of gourd penises.

Guy Needham’s curious view of the world was shaped by his childhood in rural New Zealand in the 1970s. Today, he is known for his international work with indigenous tribes, primarily exploring themes of identity and place within cultural narratives. His work is a hybrid of photographic genres, situated between documentary and portraiture.

The simplicity of his refined style has been described as possessing a quiet intensity and a subtle rhythm. His images have been exhibited in New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, Tokyo, and Athens. Engaging with cultural contexts different from our own reminds us that the possibilities for understanding others arise from movements of reaching out to the different, with respect for their difference and an appreciation of that difference.

This movement stirs fear; it is in this place of challenging ourselves—of facing the different, in mutuality, before humans like ourselves—that we find ourselves.

SITE - https://www.guyneedham.com/tribes/the-dani

Production: MIRA Galerias & Incubator Gallery