Ahead of his solo photography exhibition, January 18, 2026, La Mode Magazine Interviewed Mavic Chijioke Okeugo.
La Mode Magazine: Mavic, you’re presenting a solo exhibition titled Where Light Learns Our Faces on January 18th at The African Centre in Central London. What does this moment represent for you?
Mavic Chijioke Okeugo: This exhibition feels like a pause I’ve been working toward for a long time. It’s not just about showing photographs it’s about creating a space where people can sit with faces, with presence, with light. Showing this body of work at The African Centre is deeply meaningful because it’s a place rooted in Black histories, conversations, and futures. It feels aligned with the spirit of the work.
La Mode Magazine: The title Where Light Learns Our Faces is striking and poetic. How did it come about?
Mavic: I wanted the title to suggest patience. Light is usually seen as something that exposes instantly, but I’m interested in light as something that studies, that listens. These photographs were made slowly, with care. The title speaks to the idea that our faces especially Black faces are not immediately legible or consumable. They deserve time to be learned.
La Mode Magazine: Your practice centers on fine art photography, particularly portraiture. What draws you to the face as a primary site of exploration?
Mavic: The face holds contradiction. It’s where vulnerability and strength coexist. Historically, Black faces have been overexposed or misread, so I’m interested in reclaiming the face as a space of autonomy. In my work, the face isn’t performing. It’s resting, thinking, being. Photography allows me to honor that stillness.
La Mode Magazine: How does light function in this exhibition technically and conceptually?
Mavic: Technically, I work with controlled, intentional lighting, often minimal. Conceptually, light becomes a collaborator. It doesn’t dominate the subject; it responds to them. Sometimes it reveals, sometimes it withholds. That balance mirrors how we come to know people in real life never all at once.
La Mode Magazine: There’s a quiet intensity in your images. What emotional experience do you hope viewers walk away with?
Mavic: I hope they feel slowed down. We’re used to consuming images rapidly, scrolling past faces without consequence. This exhibition asks viewers to look longer, to recognize the humanity in front of them, and maybe to reflect on how they look at others in their daily lives.
La Mode Magazine: The African Centre is a powerful cultural venue. How does the space shape the exhibition?
Mavic: The African Centre carries history and intention. Exhibiting there situates the work within a larger diasporic dialogue. The space encourages reflection it’s not neutral, and that matters. The photographs don’t exist in isolation; they’re in conversation with the people who walk through that building and the stories they carry.
La Mode Magazine: What can audiences expect from the private view on January 18th?
Mavic: The private view is intimate by design. It’s a moment to encounter the work quietly, without distraction. I’ll be present, but the focus is on the images and the conversations they spark between viewers, and within themselves.
La Mode Magazine: Finally, what does success look like for you with Where Light Learns Our Faces?
Mavic: Success is someone standing in front of a photograph and feeling seen rather than entertained. If the work lingers with people if it stays with them beyond the gallery then it’s done what it needed to do.
Exhibition Details
Where Light Learns Our Faces
Solo Fine Art Photography Exhibition
January 18, 2026
Private View: 2pm
The African Centre
66 Great Suffolk Street
London SE1 0BL, United Kingdom
