"Wasi Daniju’s photographic work has a beautiful aesthetic. Energy and stillness come together. She has a sharp eye and the technical excellence to capture the moment...you can trust Wasi’s work to be authentic - to be capturing something real and of significance."
- Hassan Mahamdallie - Playwright, writer
Bio - Oluwatosin (fka Wasi) Daniju
With a focus mainly on theatre, portraiture and documentary, I use photography and moving image to explore ideas around identity, home, loss and belonging from a person-centred therapeutic viewpoint. I also just really enjoy making pictures.
Since 2007, I have created a vast portfolio, with the thread of documenting running through my work. Ultimately I see photography first and foremost as an act of bearing witness, as truthfully as possible, and where sitters are involved, as gently as possible.
I am a qualified Person-Centred therapist, and graduated with Distinction from the University of Westminster's MA in Documentary Photography and Photojournalism.
I have shown my work individually and in group exhibitions in the UK and abroad, and regularly feature in various print and online publications.
Portrait of the artist : selfie in Scotland sunshine!
Contact
How can we work together? I look forward to hearing from you for projects and photography work.
Education
MA Documentary Photography and Photojournalism (Distinction)
University of Westminster 2020
Postgraduate Diploma Person-Centred Therapy
University of Strathclyde 2013
Exhibitions & festivals
How We Build Home with [late] Dr Azeezat Johnson - Online - TBC 2024
How We Build Home with [late] Dr Azeezat Johnson - Museum of the Home - London, 2022/23
Hours of a Moment - Virtual exhibition - online, 2022
You See Yourself? - IFE NKILI arts festival - Everyman Cinema - London, 2021 (group)
You See Yourself? - IFE NKILI arts festival - online, 2021 (group)
Home Is Here & There - Royal Academy Summer Exhibition - Shortlisted/withdrawn - London, 2021 (group)
All The Women In Me Are Tired - video installation - Royal Academy Summer Exhibition - Shortlisted/withdrawn - London, 2021 (group)
84 days - Photofusion SALON/21 - London, 2021 (group)
Rear View [from Home Is Here & There] - Photofusion SALON/19 - Commended - London, 2019 (group)
"You can do what You want from the pavement" - video installation [from Still Looking] -London Gallery West - London, 2019 (group)
Suppose [from The Stories We Tell] - London Gallery West - London, 2018 (group)
You See Yourself? - Unbreakable Bonds - Writivism Festival - Kampala, 2019 (group)
You See Yourself? - Manifesting The Unseen - Guest Projects - London, 2018 (group)
re:present - British Islam Conference - Amnesty International - London, 2018
re:present - private viewing - London, 2017
re:present - Everyday Muslim: Black Muslims in British History and Heritage- Rich Mix - London, March 2017
Publications
Everything That Happened - Manchester International Festival (2023)
Negative Space: Women of Colour in Photography - Bella Okuya (2023)
Critical Muslim 33: Relics (2020)
Critical Muslim 32: Music (2019)
Stage Invasion - Peter Bearder - Out-Spoken Press (2019)
Unbreakable Bonds: An Anthology of Fiction, Photography and Nonfiction from Eastern Africa and the UK - Bwesigye Bwa Mwesigire, Esther Mirembe, Sumayya Lee (Editors) - CACE: Centre for African Cultural Excellence (2020)
Rule Britannia: Brexit and the End of Empire - Danny Dorling, Sally Tomlinson - Biteback Publishing (2019)
Manifesting the unseen - exhibition catalogue - Nazia Mirza (editor) (2018)
Khidr Collective Zine Issue 1 - The Khidr Collective (2017)
base publication (2017)
shine a light [Open Democracy] (2016-2017)
The Occupied Times (2011 - 2016)
Talks/interviews/features
I See It Now: Photography as a form of reflection [talk] - Race Reflections - Online, June 2022
Finding Home [panel discussion] - Sussex Festival of Ideals - Online, June 2021
Islam is not a singular [podcast] - Muslim, Actually with Tawseef Khan - Online, March 2021
Q&A [interview] - TheBlkGaze - Online, January 2021
32. Wasi Daniju - A Wider Sense of Family [podcast] - The Two of Us - Online, January 2020
Saying Goodbye [podcast]- The Family Tree Season 2 – Cuttings 5 - Online, April 2018
GBA 314 Wasi [podcast]- Getting Better Acquainted - Online, October 2017
Where Photography meets Therapy: Meet Wasi Daniju! [interview]- The Black Muslim Times - Online, July 2017
re:present [feature] - base publication - Issue #2 - Printed/online, June 2017
re:present [talk]- Everyday Muslim: Black Muslims in British History and Heritage- Rich Mix - London, March 2017
You Need To Be Able To See Us [interview] - The Leveller - Online, March 2017