These prints are a series of digitally re-imagined portraits of Haji Ismael, from Nubia (modern day Egypt and Sudan). They are based on photographs of historical monuments taken by Maxime du Camp, the French writer and photographer, during his 1849-51 expedition. Du Camp, reflecting the orientalist views of his era, was fascinated by the “mother civilizations” as precursors to “Western Civilization” and perceived the local populations as incapable of preserving these ancient cultures from extinction. In his travelog, Le Nil, Égypte et Nubie, Du Camp mentions how he deceived his servant, Haji Ismael, whom he included as a scale in his photographs, to stay still by claiming the camera was a cannon.

By regenerating Haji Ismael’s portraits, I aim to reverse the colonial lens, shifting focus from artifacts to Haji Ismael himself, negating the photographer’s frame and amplifying his presence.