Jean - Cazals - Man of Colours
23 May - 9 June,
PV, 23 May, 6-9pm
Jean Cazals is a French London based photographer living in Notting Hill for many years. He was raised in Geneva before coming to London. Jean graduated at the London College of Printing now call LCC with a BA in Visual Communication. His career was a love affair between portraiture, food and travel. Jean work across editorial, publishing (shot over 80 books), corporate and especially in hospitality.
Jean’s work primarily revolves around location based photography, characterised by a distinctive graphic approach and a keen sense of colour and space. His ability to perceive beyond the ordinary has garnered both praise and awards across his career. Jean’s approach to composition and photography is deeply rooted in concept and idea creation.
‘I saw Jama Elmi in the streets of Portobello numerous time with all his rainbow colours suits and finally approach him early 2023 to propose him to do some portraits, that he accepted straight away.
In this series of portraits of Somalian born Jama Elmi, the concept was to bring forward Jama's numerous flamboyant colours suits that he is wearing everyday for the pleasure of the public in the street and his work. I wanted to bring some quirkiness to the portraits in bringing objects or gestures. It’s all very graphic to keep the impact.
In 2018 Jama Elmi was travelling on the tube and notice hordes of monochrome suits on public transport and Jama was one of them going to work as a hotel duty manager in Heathrow. That was then, now Jama decided to stop and change his life to colour and dress in a flamboyant way. Jama work as a mental support worker in Notting Hill. His suits play an important therapeutic role in his day to day work. Each resident gets to pick their favourite colour for him to wear on a chosen day. The ’therapy’ extends to the outside world too, always bringing a smile to the face of people he crosses in the streets.
The Somalian born fashionista remembers pushing the boundaries at school with daring uniform. "Nobody told me what to do " he claimed. He recalled turning up to school in bright green clothes and bullies taunting him with "the circus is in town". Towards the end of his teens, his love of colour had disappeared. His dad, who was an ambassador to the UK, was able to migrate in London with his six children feeing the civil war, died early and Jama worked hard to look after his mum . He still wore suits at work, but they were dreary. Then after his revelation on the tube , Jama said “ Now I am the creme brule, sweet that make your eyes water.”
Jama found a tailor in Shepherd's Bush and he bought dozens of suits over the last few years from him. His motto when choosing what to wear: "The louder the suit, the louder the people". Jama bought his first three piece from River Island and then went his favourite coffee spot - Vale Cafe on Harrow Road - where before he had time to stir his cappuccino he was bombarded with flattery. "Thirty seconds from the house to the café, compliments coming left right and centre. It was like I was in another dimension," he said.
"I sat down for 20 minutes and there were 50 pictures. People said 'You look amazing', 'Keep it up', and 'Only you can do this'. I said to myself 'Oh no, I have opened the Pandora's Box. I thought 'If this suit did that, let's try another one, and another one'. In three months I was buying a new suit.”