Fred Therence Boucka, visual artist based in Libreville, Gabon

"I am Fred Therence, a Gabonese visual artist, creative director, and photographer. I believe my photography doesn’t aim for a certain aesthetic but rather creates emotions and stimulates a conversation around social concepts."

How would you describe yourself in a few sentences?

I am an ambivert person who likes social interaction but far more prefers tranquility and peace offered by solitude. I’m family-oriented, and I think my sense of observation has helped me build a good eye for photography.

How did you first get into photography? Was there a specific moment, person, or inspiration that sparked your passion for capturing images?

I have, in a sense, always been a photographer. I was the assigned photographer of every friends’ group and family gathering I had, not even caring about any technique. I just enjoyed the process.

It wasn’t until I saw my grandfather with a camera during our vacations in the village we come from that I decided to own one as well. And fate decided in 2015 that my first camera (a Nikon D3300) would be offered to me by the same person I admired and loved to see holding one, my grandfather. From that day, I started twisting my creativity to use everything to my advantage and create images.

Later on, while exploring art, I found the likes of Malick Sidibé, Seydou Keïta, Samuel Fosso, and a couple of other pioneers of photography in Africa. My style seemed to be close to theirs, even though I was never really influenced by anybody during my career.

What type(s) of photography do you specialise in, and why did you choose this niche? How has your style evolved over time?

I practice various photography types, from context to product photography, but the ones I specialize in are:

• Fashion photography, which challenges me to showcase clothes and accessories with my own touch, allowing me to gain experience in styling and composing images.
• Documentary photography, which freezes time and captures moments that were not before and will not be anymore.
• Conceptual/Fine art photography, which allows me to create my own reality using anything I can relate to, to tell stories and gather people to converse.
• Artistic and editorial photography, which let me tell stories and share ideas through my lens.

Over time, I have experienced a huge amount of changes from the technical to the conceptual aspects of my practice, and my art has evolved proportionally to me as a person.

Can you share the underlying themes or ideas that drive your photography?

The themes that drive my photography are society and its uses of concepts, family, roles, relationships, values, and Africa as a whole.

Most of the time, I approach societal issues in a way I find different from the masses. I don’t look for the difference nor do I want to create it; I just found, over time, that my approach isn’t the same. I use it to try and discuss whenever possible with people about the things I lack or can’t see, so we can learn about our different perspectives or just enjoy visuals and interpret them however we like.

What is the one achievement or moment in your photography career that you’re most proud of?

There are quite a few achievements that I’m proud of, such as a collective exhibition during the 2024 Biennale Festival in Dakar, allowing me to showcase my work alongside my peers, teachers, and fellow artists.

But my biggest pride is to be able to present art that is true and loyal to my ideas. I also believe my biggest achievements in art are yet to come.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a photographer, and how did you overcome it?

The most important issue I’ve faced as a photographer is not being educated on how the art world works, despite seeking information. I am always keen to learn, and although I’ve not always been at my best emotionally, which caused me to slow down a little, I am motivated to embrace a career that can allow me to be independent both financially and creatively.

The more I try to learn, the more I get the impression that there’s either a lot of gatekeeping or not much information about photographers in the art world. This teaches resilience to those determined to achieve success through their gifts.

If you could collaborate with anyone (a photographer, brand, or a creative), who would it be and why?

If I could, I would work with the likes of Samuel Fosso, Malick Sidibé, Touré Behan, Seydou Keïta, Mama Casset, etc., for the purpose of learning and having a pioneer’s perspective, the ones who, to my liking, were able to join conceptual and documentary photography.

A couple of photographers from my hometown have also caught my eye, and it would be great to work with them. Among them are:

• Moukadi
• Marc Posso

…and many more. But my dream collaboration at the moment would be with the Ghanaian artist Black Sherif. Each of those creatives, and more that I couldn’t list here, are aligned with my vision and energy when it comes to creating.

What are your thoughts on the 54Ruum platform?

The 54ruum community, to me, represents a valuable platform to connect African artists together, allowing growth, togetherness, and strengthening the artistic community within the continent.

It is a great door for visual artists to navigate through the continent and create connections by sharing stories people can relate to or just learn from.

How’s the photography and art space in your country: how has it evolved in recent years?

The art space has evolved through the birth of several artists, but as a movement, the struggle remains.

I may not be able to see how good it has become because of my introverted nature, which does not really allow me to connect with people at the required level to know how they feel about it. But I still believe there’s a lack of resources and, most importantly, information on how to manage things.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone just starting their photography journey, what would it be?

The one advice I could give to people starting on their journey is to be open to experiment. Don’t run away from it, whether in a technical or more conceptual sense. Try and try again. You will find things you didn’t think of in the first place, and your ideas might be the ones people were missing out on.