Our current show, the African Guernsey Community Project, is an exhibition of photographs by Aaron Yeandle which celebrates the blossoming African community in Guernsey, raising awareness and honouring the diversity this new population has brought to the island. Aaron is an international award-winning fine art documentary photographer who has been photographing Guernsey’s communities for 10 years. He told us about how the project came about and how it has been received.
After completing a community project featuring speakers of Guernsey French, Voice-Vouaïe, Aaron was clear about what he wanted to do next. “As a fine art documentary photographer you see the zeitgeist of social changes, and after Covid and Brexit I noticed that members of the African community were starting to move to Guernsey to work in all sorts of industries, from finance and hospitality to healthcare, and everything in between,” explained Aaron. “And I thought this was a really crucial stage to capture in Guernsey’s social history. I wanted to tell the participants’ stories and I also wanted to bring the African communities together and to introduce them to the Guernsey communities. Ultimately we are all people living on this planet and it’s really important to be in harmony with one another.” Aaron also thought it was vital to make a social archive for the future of Guernsey, as social history changes all the time. “It’s about catching that fleeting moment where it’s fresh – if I did this project in 10-15 years’ time, it wouldn’t have the same impact as it does now.”
The people who agreed to sit for Aaron immediately understood why it was important to take part. “Some people had reservations of course, and it might seem a bit weird to be photographed in your home, but everyone was so open and welcoming,” he said. “One of the best things about the type of photography I do is how my camera is like a key into people’s lives – entering their private home space and learning about their story.” The project unfolded over a period of three years: “There’s so much stuff that goes on behind the scenes for a socio-historical project like this, so I knew it would take a long time and there were times when I didn’t know if it was going to work, but I had a vision and I never gave up.”
The project has a personal significance for Aaron, as he has African roots himself. “I come from a mixed-race background, my father is French Moroccan. Growing up in the 1970s and 80s I had challenges because of that, and when I moved to Guernsey I had a few unpleasant interactions with people, and it made me think how it must feel for this new community to come here,” he said.
Aaron is delighted with how his photographs have been curated in the gallery. “All my hard work and Art for Guernsey’s hard work has paid off – it looks fantastic and so professional, it’s world class. Everybody is blown away with how professional and vibrant this exhibition is.” Feedback from the communities involved has meant a lot to Aaron, who recalled: “They all said, ‘We didn’t know this is what you were working towards, and we are so grateful to be part of this community project.’ Many of them felt emotionally overwhelmed and happy, and that is the biggest compliment I could receive.”
“When the time is right, it would seem like a natural progression to start part two of the project,” said Aaron. Whatever the future holds, Art for Guernsey and Aaron truly hope that the African Guernsey Community Project makes the island’s blossoming African community feel more welcome and more at home than they did before.
