Souls of the Diaspora

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Souls of the Diaspora started life as a photographic documentary project, focusing on young people in Coney Island, New York in 2011.

As the work developed Forbes was intrigued by the young people’s behaviour and mannerism, which mirrored the young people he was documenting in his Carnival... beyond on the glitz of the parade photographic work in the UK.

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The work evolved further exploring the local Black diaspora and its connections to other black youths in other geographies. The symbol of the human DNA as a layered double helix on the photographs is the visual representation of this complex social and historical connection.

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Social and political issues affecting the Black diaspora plays an important role in Forbes’ everyday thinking in relation to socio-political issues around education, race, masculinity, fashion, class and the broader nature of success.

This body of work is the result of Forbes’ interest in mixing both photography and painting by creating new forms of expressions and representation.