Changing Perceptions Of Beauty

A few years ago Dingwall took pictures of Thando Hopa, a model with a hereditary depigmentation condition of the skin. The Johannesburg-based photographer was so inspired by Hopa’s expressiveness that he later began to work with Sanele Xaba, who suffers from Albinism too. While people with  albinism are often discriminated and confronted with superstition and violence throughout Africa, Dingwall completed a series of pictures that shows Albinism in a different light: Hopa and Xaba allow Dingwall to present a female and a male perspective on grace and intensity regardless of the skin color.

Not only the outer beauty of his models is reflected in the works, their inner strength is revealed as well. In his newer photos Dingwall uses animals like snakes and butterflies but also water and textiles that symbolize rebirth, fluidity and metamorphosis. Dingwall’s pictures challenge the viewers to rethink their own stance towards beauty.