‘Type here to search’ is a series motivated by the various questions raised around photographs with unknown people in our photo albums. The Microsoft bar search creates a contemporary approach to archival images, especially within the new generation, in which technology remains firmly in our everyday life and there is much information that has to be excavated and redistributed. Yala digs through the heaps of family archives to understand her family’s path and its transition into present times. Long conversations with family members lead to the realisation that there is always information, which is permanently lost and fragmented, however, recognising the importance of black family albums and their representation in history acts as a personal drive to digitise or at least visualise more of this history through artistic and diverse expression.
Sofia Yala (1994), is an Angolan/Portuguese visual artist whose creative journey has found a home between the UK, Portugal, and Angola. Her art practice is a blend of exploration and expression, anchored in a connection to archival material, and image making, aligned with imaginaries and narratives. Embodying the essence of hybridity, Sofia's artistic practice is a living entity—a work-in-progress that resists finality. Her approach delves into the past, weaving it with the present, while intentionally reserving space for ongoing reflections that embrace the future. This unceasing evolution remains true to the core of her vision, underscoring an unbreakable link between heritage and modernity. Yala crafts her pieces with attention to detail, manipulating textures and juxtapositions. She reconfigures memories and lived encounters through her process, ushering them into new and transformative forms. With an academic foundation in African Studies and an MA in Anthropology, Sofia ventured further into the realm of creativity, culminating in her 2021 achievement of an Arts Master's degree in Film and Photography. In 2022, the artist had her inaugural solo exhibitions in Lisbon and Brighton, offering audiences an encounter with her narratives. Additionally, her series shone at the 13th Bamako Encounters African Biennale of Photography and will be exhibited this year in Braga, Portugal at Encontros da Imagem International Photography Festival.
WEBSITE : https://www.sofiayala.art/
INSTAGRAM : @yalasofia
Images courtesy of the artist ©YALA SOFIA
