Mikael Owunna discusses the richness of his photo series Infinite Essence

"The trope of the Black body as a site of death is everywhere," writes Mikael Owunna. "Being gunned down by police officers, drowning and washing up on the shores of the Mediterranean, starving and suffering in award-winning photography," these images permeate mainstream news, our social media feeds and are a constant stream of visual trauma. For Owunna, these images became a catalyst to transfigure the Black body from a site of death and state violence to transcendent eternal beings.

In 2017, Owunna began Infinite Essence, a series of glowing, ethereal photographs that elevate Black bodies to the cosmos. Owunna paints his models with fluorescent paint and uses his engineering background to enhance a standard flash with an ultraviolet bypass filter rendering only ultraviolet light. The resulting images expose viewers to what they might not otherwise see: a metaphor for the beauty, joy, and power of Black life that is often omitted from popular narratives. Infinite Essence is a haven – a safe space from centuries of systemic oppression. Owunna's muses are floating, content, and infinitely secure.

I spoke with Owunna to learn more.

Jon Feinstein in conversation with Mikael Owunna