Djeneba Aduayom’s Visual Poetry

Excerpt From the Cut.

Aduayom’s experience with ballet, jazz, and contemporary dance allows her to understand the nuances of the human form. Raised in Togo and Paris and based in L.A., she refers to her work — which has appeared this year in Vogue Italia and on the cover of Time — as “visual poetry,” blending high art, photography, and emotions.

“As a performer I was never mechanical, I was always emotional. I make the people whom I photograph move, and sometimes that generates a feeling outside of their known parameters.