David Alekhuogie
About
David Alekhuogie (https://www.davidalekhuogie.com/) Born in 1986, David Alekhuogie received his MFA from Yale University and post-bac BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work was included in Companion Pieces, the 2020 iteration of MoMA’s biannual New Photography exhibition, and is currently on view in Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth. at the California African American Art Museum in Los Angeles. In 2019, he was the recipient of the Rema Hort Mann Foundation Emerging Artist Grant. Alekhuogie has had solo exhibitions at Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, CA (2019); Commonwealth and Council, Los Angeles, CA (2019); Skibum MacArthur, Los Angeles, CA (2017); and at the Chicago Artist Coalition (2016). Alekhuogie has participated in group shows at Museum of Modern Art, New York (2020); The High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA (2017); Fraenkel Gallery, curated by Katy Grannan, San Francisco, CA (2015); and Regen Projects, Los Angeles, CA (2015). His work has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Time Magazine, Timeout, Chicago, Vice, and The Los Angeles Times.
Gallery
LACP Interviews David Alekhuogie
LACP asks David Alekhuogie ten questions about his background, career in and beliefs about photography
LACP: What kind of photographer are you?
David Alekhuogie: I’m a documentary photographer. My working is conceptual in nature. I’m interesting in bending the conventions of documentary photography.
LACP: How long have you been shooting?
DA: 11 years
LACP: Where did you get your training?
DA: I graduated from Yale University where I received an MFA in film and photography.
LACP: When did you know you wanted to devote your life to photography?
DA: I never knew i wanted to do it. I just did it because it continues to feel important as an artist.
LACP: Did you ever come close to giving up?
DA: No. That’s just not an option. Photography is very important.
LACP: Have you sacrificed anything by being a photographer?
DA: Time. I wish I had more time. Making interesting photographs takes a lot of time.
LACP: What have you gained by being a photographer?
DA: Perspective. It makes you think about people in a more empathetic way.
LACP: What classes do you teach at LACP?
DA: This will be my first course. Mining the archive.
LACP: What do you love most about teaching?
DA: I learn something new all the time. I think of the classroom as a creative space that helps generate new ways of thinking.
LACP: What advice would you give someone who is thinking about making a career in photography?
DA: Try to focus on living your life and building relationships. Let those things drive your work. Photography is about story telling and access. Try to start with the idea and allow the formal and technical will follow.