A-ARTs: Metaphor of sight through lens of Akran

'Eyes Combo' (digital painting, 40x30cm, dated 2021)) by Mede Akran.

By Tajudeen Sowole

THE symbolism of sight and vision comes with the thematic context of creativity in artist, Mede Akran’s work of inspirational photography.

More of interest is the photo artist’s personification of the symbolism of her practice despite the obstacle of nature much earlier in her journey through life. Before the stereotypes of impediments blurred her mission, the art of photography found Akran, mentally prepared for the future.

Akran’s works must have been on the radar of connoisseurs in the past few years, so suggests list of her exhibitions. And in search of emerging photo artists with fresh textures, Akran’s works strayed into one’s attention, revealing that her efforts deserve critical assessment, beyond the regular reports and announcements of her past exhibitions.

Akran’s choice of themes for her works such as Eyes That Sees, Eye Combo, Fragile But Treat With Care, Fragile But Treat As You Like, and Fragile But Don’t Treat With Care assert an artist’s eclectic skills. For an artist whose bio claims she is “partially’’ impaired, visually, there is a kind of mystery to expose about her mental strength in creating art.

The journey of this critical assessment of Akran’s works takes off with viewing of a close shot of eyes captured in what looks like multiple images of the eyeballs and eyelids, creating optical illusion effect. With doubt about the visibility strength of the multiple eyes, the piece increases one’s curiosity with the title ‘Eyes Combo’. Apart from the diverse interpretations of the layers of eyes in this work, perhaps, ophthalmologists might have explanation to Akran’s artistic analysis of functionality of eyes.

Akran’s ‘Eye Combo’ speaks for most partially impaired persons as her work depicts a combination of more than one eye, in a mixture of gazes. Through the lens of her concept, she shares a part of her journey as each gaze reflects the truth that vision extends beyond the physical.

The other perspective to artistic analysis of vision comes in Eye That Sees, as Akran captures the feelings of her peers who navigate the world differently, suggesting that not all eyes that appear active and alive are truly functioning. As a series, sharing similar texture with Eye Combo, Akran’s Eye That Sees captures those who experience vision in different ways. For such persons, they derive their strength from perception to sustain resilience against obstacles, so suggests Akran's Eye That Sees.

Between artistic expression of an artist who interprets her experience and the medical reality of handling visually impaired persons, there might be a conflict of data. For Akran’s photographic depiction of her thoughts, does arriving at non-medically proven “experience” take something away from her artistic concepts?

The delicate balance in treating themes of medical subjects, within artistic context must come with boundaries. It’s doubtful if Akran’s enthusiasm, perhaps like most artists, observe the limit of artistic expression in treating medical subjects.

With Akran’s Eye That Sees, which is centred on ‘not all widely open eyes do see’, eyecare professionals might have something in common with her artistic expressions. The reality that not everyone who claims to see can boast of good eyes has been proven over and over by ophthalmologists through eye screening tests. Akran’s thoughts become enriched with the combined medical, analogous and social interpretations all rolled in her themes.

Among the qualities of possessing great skills in art is the depth of eclectic textures of an artist’s works. For Ákran, her Fragile But… series, which come in monochromatic textures, in contrast to the Eye Combo and Eyes That See exposes a photo artist whose art has a space in the mastery of visual culture communication.

Creating art, especially through the medium of photography requires attention to details, of which eyes play the most important part. How Akran come across photography as a profession is a case study in the spirituality of destiny and natural talent resource.

Her bio discloses that the journey through her choice of profession began at 17 when she discovered her creative calling while navigating life with the challenge of partial vision loss. But her challenge in partial visual impairment, strangely, found a tool in her late father’s camera gift.

Line, light through digital brushings of Oseh