Tshepiso Seleke, documentary photographer based in Soweto, Orlando

Tshepiso Seleke is a South African visual artist, known as "thedarkroomartist" from Soweto, Orlando – a place of rich history and culture but also of great struggle.

He works within an imagined space of a bittersweet reality – of black people having come this far but also not having gone anywhere at all; the collective black experience still tells issues of systematic oppression and political and social injustice.

Being careful to set a specific tone of representation, Seleke captures his subject in socially provocative backgrounds with subjects that act suspended from the circumstances, forging the past and the present.

He is a guest lecturer at the University of Johannesburg for 3rd-year photography students. He is a voice for those who have been stripped of individual agency and power, and those who have their agency but are still working with limited spaces. He has had his images exhibited at various galleries and spaces such as Fotoza, Newtown, Rand Club, Museum Africa, Marthouse, Barnard gallery, Cape Town, Eclectica contemporary, Cape Town and Photo London in the United Kingdom.

Seleke has a diverse field of experience – from being an IT technician to being a professional cinematographer and a visual artist, and within those spaces, having worked with big companies nationally and internationally, like Studio88, Muvhango,

Gauteng Premiers Office and National Geographic, to name a few. He hopes to see more black people taking up space and finding their voice.

How would you describe yourself in a few sentences?

I love being outdoors mostly in nature and surrounded by amazing people who share authentic African stories. I also love fast cars.

How did you first get into photography?

I fell in love with photography the first time I walked into a darkroom, hence the name ‘thedarkroomartist.’ The complexity of how it works peaked my interest and I never looked back.

What type(s) of photography do you specialise in, and why did you choose this niche?

I specialise in documentary photography because I love telling stories about people, and this has allowed me to give a voice to the voiceless through my images.

Can you share the underlying themes or ideas that drive your photography?

What drives my photography is sharing awareness of the situations that people face on a daily basis. The untold hardships they go through.

What's the one achievement or moment in your photography career that you're most proud of?

Showcasing my work and launching my book at photo London was a massive highlight of my career.

What's the biggest challenge you've faced as a photographer, and how did you overcome it?

One of the biggest challenges I have faced was getting the opportunities to showcase my work in the right spaces and I overcame it by financing my first showcase. Thus attracting the right people to consider giving me a chance.

If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be and why?

I would collaborate with Azael Langa as I believe our work shares a similar message.

What are your thoughts on the 54Ruum platform?

I feel it's a great platform for giving us artists, a place for the world to be aware of our existence and mainly our art.

How's the photography and art space in South Africa: how has it evolved in recent years?

The photography and art space is growing steadily but not fast enough. In recent years it has actually grown to give a lot of artists an opportunity to showcase their work and actually make a living from art.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone just starting their photography journey, what would it be?

Photography is a challenging field and difficult to make a living from but once you find yourself then the rest works out.