Justin Keene

Justin Keene (b. 1989) is a documentary photographer based between London and South Africa. He holds a Philosophy MA from The University of Edinburgh and is currently on a part-time Documentary Photography Master’s at the University of South Wales. Justin’s personal work explores concepts of identity and representation in South Africa, reviewing the ethics of photographic practice and its impact for contemporary art. His previous projects Being for the Other and It Must Be Built From Ashes construct narratives that reflect on South Africa as a postcolony — exploring past and present effects on social and physical landscapes. His current body of work, Walls in the Riverbed, examines colonial archives depicting South Africa’s early diamond mining industry — using his personal connection with the topic to explore the history’s influence on interpretations of visual representation and imperial legacies.
His personal work has been featured online with Paper Journal, Nataal, It’s Nice That, Life Framer and On Booooooom, and in selected exhibitions and publications: Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize at The National Portrait Gallery in London; Photo London Digital with Galerie Number 8; LensCulture Exposure Awards and The Best Of Volume IV; Sony World Photo at Somerset House; BJP’s Portrait of Britain; New European Photography x GUP in Arles; The Lucie Foundation in Los Angeles; The Independent Photographer x EMOP in Berlin and The Photo Vogue Festival 2019 in Milan.
Clients include: Christian Dior, Malone Souliers, Nataal, Public Ambition and AWAY Travel