Interview with Aarif Amod: “Portraits have the power to give us a true insight into human nature and into the heart of a subject”

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Aarif Amod on capturing the right portrait, the evolution of Dublin, and the importance of having diverse cultures in Ireland

Born in South Africa, artist Aarif Amod works on documentary, street, music, and concert photography – he’s also a talented musician with a passion for traditional music.

Amon moved to Dublin in 1998, when he was only 11 years old. It was a big move for a young boy, and he sadly suffered instances of racism and negativity. Despite these, he was never deterred from Dublin, and he has witnessed its sociocultural development through the opening decades of the twenty-first century.

Amod has previously worked on photographic projects capturing our capital’s colourful city. In his latest online exhibition, “Cultures of Dublin” (in conjunction with Mother Tongues Festival) he continues to document our ever-changing city with gorgeous portraits of the many diverse people based in Dublin.

What made you want to pursue “Cultures of Dublin”?

I began working on this project in 2020, after completing my first Portrait Series titled “Masked Portraits Of Dublin“ which captured Dublin City’s public adjusting to Covid-19. I began to feel comfortable approaching people and really enjoyed talking and listening to people’s stories and backgrounds of their life in Dublin. Over time I really began to notice how Dublin has expanded culturally since I arrived here in 1998, and I began constructing a sol{“type”:”block”,”srcClientIds”:[“032ca072-5214-4d6d-9557-f72d2ad80d1f”],”srcRootClientId”:”03615b00-27c5-457d-8ddf-0d8f1fc8807a”}id piece of work. I aim to expand on the project and delve into much deeper aspects of immigration and sense of place and conflict in the future.

How has Dublin changed since you moved here?

Dublin has really expanded in diversity. The schools have completely changed and the atmosphere and energy on the streets has changed too. Dublin seems to have embraced a colourful mix of Food, Arts, and Music, and I’m really excited to be a part of it. I truly believe that the best way to evolve, learn and expand with each other starts with simple acts like understanding, listening, and supporting those around us. I’d say a lot of people I came in contact with have the same goals as I did when I moved here: to find their place and meaning here, and be happy.

What have you learned from the people from this project?

After choosing to properly focus on the project, I began realising that every person from every background brings their own sense of culture and energy to Dublin City. The city has really changed since I moved here from South Africa and even though there is sparks of conflict at times, taking portraits also acquires a lot of patience, and taking time to hear people’s stories has had a great effect on me. Dublin will always be an ever-changing and growing environment.

How do you know when you captured the right portrait?

After studying photography and learning the true power of a great portrait, I saw how pictures can be a powerful representation of a sense of time and place. Simple portraits can hold a great power behind them and trying to constantly achieve this is a great test. Portraits have the power to give us a true insight into human nature and into the heart of a subject. I felt I took a great portrait when I could see the true honesty in people, and when they feel honest and true in the picture.