In a world hooked on the quick scroll and the instant impression, Giovanni Jangano wants viewers to hit pause. His latest exhibition uses colour, symbolism and documentary-style photography to explore the stories hiding in plain sight.
GOSEGO MOTSUMI
A photograph takes a second to capture. Understanding it can take much longer. Giovanni Jangano is betting on that gap, between what we see and what we actually understand, with Giovanni: Beyond the Surface, an exhibition challenging audiences to look beyond the obvious.
Opening at Alliance Française de Gaborone on 12 November, the exhibition brings together the Zimbabwean visual artist and photographer’s interest in emotion, symbolism and the lives unfolding around him. Based in Botswana, Jangano uses the camera to do more than freeze a moment: he wants to make viewers question what they think they know about it.
COLOUR ISN’T JUST DECORATION
Forget colour as a pretty finishing touch. In Jangano’s visual world, it has a job to do.
Working with composition and symbolism, he uses colour to guide the eye, shape emotion and suggest meanings that may not be immediately obvious. The photographs draw on personal experiences, the lives of people around him and a family history closely connected to art.
Photography may be his primary medium, but Jangano identifies first and foremost as an artist. That distinction matters: the camera is not simply a recording device but a tool for exploring ideas and feelings that resist straightforward explanations.
NO EASY ANSWERS
Beyond the Surface brings these elements together in what is described as one of Jangano’s most significant bodies of work to date. Rather than dictate a single interpretation, he wants each image to open a conversation between the artwork and its audience.
That makes the viewer part of the experience. Personal histories and first impressions inevitably shape what people see and looking again might reveal something the initial glance missed.
In an age when images are consumed at speed, Jangano’s invitation is refreshingly simple: slow down and pay attention.
The exhibition opens at 5:30 PM on Thursday, 12 November, with a question-and-answer session with the artist at 6 PM. Entry is free, and the exhibition runs until 3 December at Alliance Française de Gaborone.