Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexander Jibaja.
Alexander, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Well, I’m a self-taught photographer based in Chicago. I’m originally from the west suburbs of Chicago, I grew up in a little town called Lemont. I currently study Marketing at Columbia College Chicago, which is kind of Ironic because most people who meet me and see my work assume I study photography. I’d always been interested in photography my entire life but never really thought about taking it seriously, partially due to fear. But it wasn’t until high school after I had purchased an iPhone. I started to take photos of my everyday life, like friends and places I would go visit as a way to document specific moments of my life, sort of like a timeline that I could go look back on. After I graduated High school I bought my first camera and really pursued photography. I began teaching myself, like reading books, watching YouTube videos, as well really going out and exploring our beautiful city. Photographing Chicago really taught me how to understand photography and how to view everything differently, and I’ll forever be grateful.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I don’t have a specific type of photography that I only take photos of. I tend to photograph almost everything, whether it be Music, Portraits, Lifestyle, Products, Cityscapes. I think being able to expand your skillset and photographing different things is what can push you to create amazing art. I will say that the majority of my work is Street photography specifically because in street photography when you take a photo you’ve captured a moment in time that can never be recreated no matter how hard you try, and to me, I think that’s amazing. I’ve never properly learned photography and I think because of that I’ve been able to create a style in my photographs that hopefully is able to resonate when a person, and show them that what I was seeing in that moment in time.
Do current events, local or global, affect your work and what you are focused on?
Yes, our role as artists has definitely changed, I think with everything that is going on lately it’s our duty to push the boundaries with the public and those who view our bodies of work. I’m not saying that everything we create has to be politically charged, but I am saying that we should be able to express our thoughts on certain matters through our art in hopes that the public can understand what we feel. A prime example of this is the negative stigma that our amazing city has been labeled. I’ve travelled and met tons of people, but when I’ve explained where I’m from that negative stigma seemed to always come up, and I’ve always explained that the city is so much more than that, like the music, the food, the art, the diverse people and the cultures that have given our city so much life. In a sense, I’ve tried to show the beauty that Chicago has shown me in my own photographs and hopefully others will see it too.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My work can be found on Alexanderjibaja.com & on Instagram @rufff_genius.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alexanderjibaja.com/
- Email: Ruffgphotos@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rufff_genius/?hl=en
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