A disenchanted Koto Bolofo had spent weeks ’practising drawing straight lines and round circles’ at art college in London when he was first introduced to a 3-week compressed photography lesson in his second year. An inaugural trip to the dark room, where he witnessed gelatin-silver paper suddenly develop into a visible image, blew his mind. For him, the process was like ancient sorcery - an act of ‘voodoo’ that cast a spell and influenced his illustrious career behind the lens.
Unflinchingly true to the voodoo of analogue photography, commercial work hasn’t always satisfied Bolofo. Aside from his prestigious magazine and advertising work, he’s strived to create an independent body of timeless photography, for his own pleasure. Colette’s art director Sarah Andelman, who had privileged glimpses of Bolofo’s more personal collection, convinced him to exhibit a selection of his unseen work.
Mmmmm at Colette presents a selection of forty photographs lovingly selected by Bolofo. Images from his first book ‘Air’, a photographic illustration of a poem by Robert Bridges, are shown alongside a collection of unpublished recreational photography from the 1980s and 1990s. Described by Bolofo as ‘painting with light’, Mmmmm is an exhibition of exactly what he set out to achieve – timeless photography.
