Casper Kofi (b. 1990) is a Dutch-Ghanaian photographer who uses portraiture and fashion to explore a contemporary representation of male identity. His work offers diverse and intimate vignettes of his subjects, often referencing a nostalgic aesthetic and bringing together both personal moments and theatrical qualities. Through experiments with colour and light, in studio and on location, Kofi imbues his portraits of young men with a sense of longing and playfulness, alongside his own romanticised notions and ideas about identity and beauty. His work with models, friends and street-cast locals has been published in Dazed, Fantastic Man, French Vogue, Vogue US, GQ and WSJ Magazine. Kofi has been commissioned by Dior, Louis Vuitton, Wales Bonner, Giorgio Armani and Loewe. With no formal training in the arts, he has established a career as a sought-after photographer. 

Kofi is ignited by his impulse to inspect the ways in which people attempt to make sense of themselves and their surroundings. His subjects, mostly young adults, are often lensed in a charming and introspective manner and they appear to be in an emotionally ambiguous state. Through his work, Kofi looks for moments and expressions that feel familiar but aren’t fully defined yet. He attempts to reflect how our sense of self is informed by an accumulation of multiple identities and different relational experiences. His portraits and still lives function alongside one another and through one another, without having a specific sequence or chronology. They exist individually, but form interconnections through pairings that are made instinctively, rather than rationally. Kofi’s images may appear fragmented, sometimes small, sometimes large, precisely as memories coexist in our minds. The result is that meaning is open to interpretation, constantly evolving and challenged, much like our identities. 

"I look for ways to communicate a sense of potential. Moments and expressions that seem to be at their beginning and that aren’t completely defined yet. Ultimately my work shows observations and moments that I’m able recognise as I mature, and as I reflect and imagine myself and others."