Noncedo Gxekwa is a Freelance Photographer, with a strong interest or curiosity in people.

ON THE ‘SAME SAME’ CONCEPT:
“Same Same’ appealed to me because it challenged the idea of knowing. Knowing anything about the person in front of you makes it easy to have a point of reference. When you don’t know you are forced to look within yourself. For me I looked at the parts I connected with. First and foremost, the human being, just acknowledging their presence with sharing a smile. Then it went to the familiar, the hair. I knew when I saw Celeste that I wanted to show her eyes. We tied the hair up and tried different styles, it was a mission. I remember having all these thoughts in my head  about every conversation most women of colour have about hair. I found myself asking Celeste if she was ok? She smiled and said “anything goes”.

What struck me is that as much as I did not know anything about Celeste, I cared that she was taken care of and felt good and not just a body. She also cared that I got the result I  wanted almost she wanted this to be successful for me. In our not knowing each other in that moment we had one goal, winning.

I kept the portrait very simple. I got the sense that Celeste is very simple but has a very strong personality. I think she is an artist /writer/researcher? She does work that challenges people.