Eminence by Hosea Benjamin
Explore Mondoir Studio
Medium: photography
Dimensions: 20 x 28 in
Edition production year: 2025
Edition of 10
Price: $390.00 USD
Status: available
Eminence rises like dawn’s first light, A crown of grace, a soul's pure flight. In shadows deep, it stands apart, A beacon bright, a noble heart. Unyielding strength, yet gentle sway, it carves its path through night and day. A rarest gem, in twilight's gleam.
Why collect this work?
A saturated red hat interrupts an otherwise monochrome, back-facing figure, turning concealment into the photograph’s principal means of asserting presence and composure.
- Hosea Benjamin describes his practice as “Afrography,” an artist-defined approach to memory, identity and African narratives. Here, identity is approached through controlled withholding rather than facial recognition.
- The figure’s raised arms form an enclosing arc, while the hands touch the hat and shoulder. These linked shapes direct attention around the obscured head, making posture and gesture carry the portrait.
- Catalogued as a 2025 photograph measuring 20 by 28 inches, the work uses stark tonal separation and apparent selective colour to make the hat operate as both covering and visual crown.
- The work is pertinent to collections examining portraiture without likeness: it tests how authority can be constructed through silhouette, pose and chromatic emphasis while leaving personal identity unresolved.
About the Artist
Hosea Benjamin
Hosea Benjamin is an artist on Mondoir Studio. Artistic discipline: photography. Based in Lekki, NG.
Nationality: Nigerian
My work explores memory, identity, and culture through Afrography, a philosophy I created to document African stories with depth and intention.
