Reginald Jackson

Since the 1970s, Reginald Jackson has been using unconventional photographic techniques to document the vitality of African culture in the Americas. These photographs, taken in Cotia, just outside of Sao Paulo, Brazil, record a Candomble ritual. The Candomble religion derives from Yoruba beliefs that were carried on by the many Nigerian people who were transported as slaves to Brazil in the 18th and 19th centuries. Candomble shares the Yoruba pantheon of orixá, or saint-like figures.

A Candomble devotee belongs to many orixá, who offer protection and direct his or her life. Activities, eating, and dress may be influenced by one's orixá. During ritual ceremonies, a devotee's identity is displaced by the orixá's through trance or spirit possession. The photograph on the right depicts Ogun, the orixá of war, iron, and metal craft. This deity is associated both with destruction and creation. The photograph on the left captures the dance of an initiate orfilha de santo (daughter of the orixá). Many orixá surround this central swirling figure.

Jackson has heightened the dramatic contrast of his negatives through conversion to digital images and through the ink-jet printing process. His printing enhances the intensity of the experience he portrays. The way the rich, dark ink sinks into the bright paper also yields a shadowy quality that points to the entranced state of his subjects.