We are thrilled to announce BOH BOH: A Familiar Stranger, the debut solo exhibition by British-Malawian photographer Gift JR Gwambe, curated by Orphée Kashala.
BOH BOH: A Familiar Stranger marks a significant step in Gwambe’s evolution from fashion and editorial photography into a socially and artistically engaged practice. Centred around his first return to Malawi in 2016, the exhibition captures the emotional complexity of reconnecting with family, place, and memory.
Shot on medium-format Kodak film with a 1975 Mamiya 645, the photographs move through three key sites: church, village, and home, featuring members of Gwabe’s extended family. Gwambe’s work explores the bittersweet tension of feeling both familiar and unfamiliar in a once-known place. Intimate documentary scenes blur with humanist portraiture, revealing the harmony and joy of daily life in rural and suburban Malawi.
The exhibition unfolds across large-scale photographs, archival material, moving image, installation, and sound, forming a multi-sensory reflection on cultural hybridity and heritage. The casual Malawian greeting “Boh Boh” becomes a conceptual anchor—simultaneously welcoming and estranged, known and unknown.
Hosted in Peckham, a neighbourhood deeply informed by diasporic cultures, BOH BOH: A Familiar Stranger resonates with local and global audiences alike. It weaves personal narrative into a collective exploration of identity and return, expanding conversations around the diasporic experience.
PARTICIPANT BIOS
Gift JR Gwambe is a British-Malawian photographer whose practice spans editorial, fashion, and documentary. His work explores memory, family, and diasporic identity through humanist photography often shot on medium-format film. From his background in fashion photography shooting for global brands such as YSL, Stella McCartney, and Schön Magazine, Gwambe’s debut solo exhibition marks a pivotal moment in his artistic evolution.
Orphée Kashala is an independent curator living and working in London with experience delivering ambitious exhibitions and public programmes that prioritise collaboration, inclusivity, and critical engagement. His practice centres on supporting artists in developing bold, socially engaged projects and helping them realise complex ideas from concept to installation.
Join for an opening event 6-9pm, Thursday 28th August.
Closing Event with Walking Tour and Talk – Gift JR GWAMBE In Conversation with Orphée Kashala – Sunday 31st August, 2-3:30pm
Join Gift JR Gwambe (Artist) and Orphée Kashala (Curator) for a walking tour of the exhibition followed by an open and insightful conversation reflecting on Gwambe’s approach to photography, relationship to art, his first return to Malawi and his process leading up to his debut exhibition. The event will run until late as it marks the last chance to see the exhibition, with space for networking, chatting with the artist, and refreshments.
This exhibition was made possible by Copeland Park’s Emerging Artist Exhibitions Programme.