The Way We Move
(1) Have you ever wondered who inspires the people who inspire you?
When I think about inspiration, my friend, Daryle Locko comes to mind. This article is about him. Daryle radiates creativity, for anyone and anything has the power to inspire him. When he sees a beautiful leaf or overhears a beautiful conversation, he cannot help but turn it into an artwork. If there are people who were born to create, he certainly is one of them. He started his artistic journey as a poet. Today, his paintings are poetry—they combine written words with visuals, often portraying the human form. In his first solo exhibition, on display in Washington D.C. until the 16th of October, he asks the audience: “Where the fuck is Barbara Walters?”
(2)Last Tuesday, I finally asked him: “Who even is Barbara Walters?”
“Barbara Walters… she was a news anchor on ‘The View’ where a panel of women essentially have a seminar on current events like politics, scandals and people. When I was younger, I would watch my mom watch the show but—keep in mind—when I was young, I was really ignorant. As I got older, other things started to happen and I got more knowledgeable on the events happening in the world. When I ask about Barbara Walters, I really ask: ‘What happened to the ignorance I used to have?’ or ‘Where did the world’s purity go from when I was younger?’”
In his exhibition, Daryle also explores the human condition—in particular, the tragedy of wasted potential. He wants to challenge the audience to be daring, for “what’s the point in creating if you are not going to be creative?” In particular, he dares us to “create dangerously”, so that we can learn to fulfil our potential. To do so, he says, we have to “take risks, make mistakes on purpose” and – this is my favourite advice –, we have to allow ourselves to be impressed by what we can do.
(3) “Wow, that’s me.”
There is a lot of power in the human form and especially in the way our experiences are stored in our eyes and wrinkles. For me, to take a portrait of a person means to take the time to truly see them. When I think of someone, there is always a unique gesture or facial expression that comes to mind and my photographic goal is to capture this uniqueness. After all, the camera is an extension of my eye that allows me to eternalize a moment not as it is, but as I experience it. In this photography session, Daryle shared his vulnerability with me, and he allowed me to see him as he is. I loved listening to his words and to capture his thoughtful silences. Few things compare to the moment when a person sees a picture of themselves in which you managed to capture their beauty. When Daryle saw the portraits, he smiled and said “wow, that’s me” and it meant the world to me.
If you want to see Daryle’s art and learn more about his current exhibition, find him on his website: https://www.drunkpoete.com/.
By Natalie Kreppner
