O'shane Howard newest photo series highlights Jamaican diaspora
August 22, 2023
Photography paints a picture of telling a compelling story.
Sensing the need to see more imagery highlighting the Jamaican diaspora, O’shane Howard turned to his camera.
His newest photography series, ‘Nyam’, explores the colourful influence of Jamaican cuisine.
‘Nyam’, Jamaican patois, means the consumption of food.
“The focus is on the dining aspect of what that looks like,” he pointed out. “I don’t see a lot of imagery online or on billboards showing that type of representation at a high level. Coming from a commercial background as a photographer, I wanted to add that high end visual showcasing Jamaican dishes.”
Howard selected models he thought would be a perfect fit for the photo shoot at night at Chubby’s Jamaican Kitchen started by former Canadian Association of Black Journalists Founding President Angela Lawrence and Gusto 54 Restaurant Group founder and Chief Executive Officer Janet Zuccarini.
The exhibit comprises 15 photos, including his favourite of a male and female model chilling at a table eating fries and drinking a ting (carbonated grapefruit drink) with a sign in the background, ‘Weddy Wednesday’ (a Jamaican dance hall party on Wednesday).
Friends having Jamaican cuisine with Wray & Nephew rum (Photo contributed)
“Growing up, I remember hearing Elephant Man singing ‘Weddy, Weddy, Weddy, Weddy’, in his songs,” recounted Howard. “I just incorporated that in the imagery so that when people see that, it is either they know or they don’t know.”
What does he want audiences to take away from the series?
“I want them to see representation and take away not only the feeling of eating a patty, oxtail with rice and peas or ackee and saltfish, but see it documented with imagery of people having a good time doing so,” Howard said.
He collaborated with independent curator Ashley McKenzie-Barnes on the project.
“I have worked with her on two other projects,” Howard said. “It has been a blast working with her on this exhibit. She is super supportive, always cheering me on and providing me with opportunities to advance my career. She is all about community and uplifting Black artists.”
The product of Jamaican immigrants from Spanish Town and Kingston spent a lot of time as a young boy watching his father disassembling and assembling computers.
A few friends savouring Jamaican cuisine during a night out (Photo contributed)
“That was the impetus for my creative interest earlier on,” he said. “After that, it waned until I did a Media & Communications course at Humber College and was forced to buy a Nikon D52 camera.”
After a year, Howard – who now uses a Canon EOS R5 -- dropped out of the program.
“I wanted to do my own thing,” noted the creator of ‘Yaad’, a four-part series – kitchen, bedroom, living room and Jamaican flag – that invites viewers into each space. “I didn’t go back to my retail job. Essentially, I started working for myself in 2016 and have not looked back. I fell in love with using a camera to tell stories. Every project is different.”
The recipient last September of a Women Empowerment Award for Diversity, Equality & Inclusion, McKenzie-Barnes has used Howard on several shoots.
“O’shane came to me asking if I had a connection to Chubby’s and I told him we could go a step further because Wray & Nephew is my client,” the D.PE (pronounced dope) Agency founder said. “When he told me about the ‘Nyam’ series, I suggested we bring in some of the heavy hitters. Chubby’s has been listed in the Michelin Guide as one of the top restaurants in Toronto and you don’t get more Jamaican than Wray & Nephew.”
Ashley McKenzie-Barnes (Photo by Samuel Engelking)
McKenzie-Barnes said Howard made the curatorial process easy.
“He had the vision and it was left to me to bring out the vibrancy in the photos, the feeling of the island and also tie that in with Chubby’s beautiful, warm and vibrant backdrop that already exists in that space,” she said. “They are supposed to bring out the experience of fine dining and Jamaican cuisine and having that experience as a lifestyle.”
The visual artist portfolio is extensive.
McKenzie-Barnes curated the artwork for the new CIBC Square and the office complex under construction in the South Core neighbourhood.
In 2018, she was the principal organizer of the Scarborough leg of Nuit Blanche and, a year later, curated Kuumba25, Canada’s longest running Black History Month festival at Harbourfront Centre.
“All my projects tend to be very different,” said the TeDxToronto 2019-2020 Creative Director. “I had a lot of fun with ‘Nyam’ because it felt like coming back home. I was passionate about bringing together those elements of the Jamaican Diaspora that make our culture so rich and our cuisine so enjoyable. The fact that I was also able to bring in people from the community like O’shane, the models and the whole team that worked on the project and to be able to get back into my own roots and do something I felt was more personal was very fulfilling.”
Model for the photo shoot (Photo contributed)
Like Howard, McKenzie-Barnes was born in the Greater Toronto Area to Jamaican immigrants.
“I go to Jamaica often and am really connected to the island,” she added.
It is not surprising that McKenzie-Barnes is brilliant at what she does.
In Grade 4, the teacher told her mother she would be an artist and suggested the student attend an arts-focussed high school.
Starting as a painter, the Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts graduate transitioned to design and art direction for special events and film before moving into curating.
In ‘Nyam’, McKenzie-Barnes utilized all of these experiences.
“In addition to curating and working with the printing vendors to bring the story to life, we did the floor plans and the marketing,” she said. “I feel it is bringing in the best of storytelling. Sometimes, that is just being the artist, but a lot of times, it is being the creative director, it is having ownership and it is producing the entire piece. This is one of those projects I got to do that with.”
The exhibit runs until September 30 and is open to the public during operating hours at Chubby’s Jamaican Kitchen, 104 Portland St. in Toronto.
