Seizing Global Adventure with Photographer Sesse Lind

The Multigeographic Photographer Sesse Lind confesses, “It’s quite funny that apart from an aesthetic standpoint, I don’t really watch or follow any sport. It’s just not my thing. I’ve never had any interest in it. Rather, it’s the strength or weakness of the light, people, and situations that interest me the most. It’s true that a lot of magical, overwhelming, and mind-blowing situations occurred during my trip in 2010 around parts of Africa. It will probably forever be one of my favorite places on the planet. Something I knew going in but which became abundantly clear is that Africa is not just one thing; it’s a continent consisting of many countries that are radically different from each other in many ways.” This statement relates to Lind’s experience travelling with famed American artist Kehinde Whiley, famed for his portrait of President Barack Obama which was commissioned by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. Whiley partnered with PUMA to travel through West Africa to meet and be inspired by world renowned soccer players of the region. This experience would fuel paintings created by Whiley for a massive exhibition in collaboration with PUMA at Deitch Gallery in NYC. Lind accompanied Kehinde and his team through Ghana, Cameroon, and the Ivory Coast to document this historic trip.

Sesse BTS in Ghana

PUMA’s intention for this production was built on their campaign slogan “love = football” (presented without words with the image of a football, an equal sign, and a heart). As part of a three-person crew, Lind’s goal was clear; convey that it doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor when it comes to enjoying football, all you need is a ball and grown men will turn into happy kids. He relates that Ghana is quite comfortable for English speakers, noting that it often reminds him of Brooklyn. Cameroon on the other hand was not so accessible. French is the dominant language there and Lind confirms that a number of times they were chased away while filming. While investigating a gathering along the Ivory Coast, assuming it to be a football game, Lind’s crew was shocked to discover they had discovered a public execution and made a hasty retreat. All of this sounds incredibly unsettling, and it would be for most people. Lind states, “You learn how important it is to keep calm when things are uncertain or uncomfortable. As a teenager, I started travelling through Europe by train. Together with friends I slept in parks and on beaches and lived like a bum every summer. It was a good way of learning how to take responsibility for myself and become an adult. When I worked and travelled as a photography assistant, I realized that a camera in hand provided access to many places and things which only a select few ever see up close. This made me want to become a photographer who prides himself on photographing adrenaline-heightened situations and myriad geographies, whether it be foaming seas or miles and miles of desert sands, and has guided me through my life. Curiosity has always been my drive and getting a free pass to almost anything in the company of a camera is magical.”

Travelling to Africa on this project was certainly harrowing at times but did not dissuade Lind from retaining the beautiful and positive moments he had there. Football and life both come with their failings and triumphs, why should this experience be any different? It’s what we choose to focus on that stays with us. Lind’s documentation of Kehinde Whiley’s trip to Africa is honest and shows humanity’s passion. Football, as in life, changes on a moment’s notice and you have to be prepared to “roll with it.” Lind refers to the spectrum of experiences with air travel alone on this project as an example of this. The crew might show up early at the airport only to be told the plane was full and had departed, leaving them to their own ingenuity to stay on schedule. He muses, “We caught a flight with Ghana’s team into Angola. Since we were travelling with the team and we arrived in the middle of the night, we pretty much just walked into the country without passing through customs. It didn’t even cross our minds that it would create issues when we needed to exit the country and travel on. We may or may not have been smuggled out of Angola. That’s an experience I will never forget.”