Joel Quayson (b. 1997, the Hague, The Netherlands; lives and works in the Hague)

The Dior Photography and Visual Arts Award for Young Talents presents How do you feel? (4’28” single-channel) by Joel Quayson. In this work, the artist places himself in front of the camera in a fixed shot, confronting two sides of his identity. On one side, a flamboyant, bejewelled freedom, adorned with makeup and queer expressiveness; on the other, the restrained image of the “well-raised man,” embodied by the white shirt of the perfect son-in-law. This unsettling balancing act exposes the vulnerability of a self caught between conflicting expectations, amplified by a recurring voice-over that relentlessly asks: How do you feel?

Through this direct and intimate face-to-face, Quayson explores the tension between freedom and constraint, pride and doubt, and the risk inherent in attempting to merge two identities that society often holds apart. His images vibrate with sincerity and personal courage, questioning how culture, gender roles, and family expectations shape self-representation. By speaking of himself with such lucidity, the artist touches upon the universal challenge of reconciling inner complexity with external perception.

Joel Quayson is a visual artist and photographer whose work navigates the intersections of identity, culture, and self-expression. Of Ghanaian heritage, he grew up in the Netherlands and now studies at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague, after graduating in photography from the Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam. Defining photography as his primary language, Quayson uses the medium as a bridge between personal experience and collective reflection. His practice is shaped by the digital age, pop culture, and his own evolving identity, creating works that transform self-reflection into a shared exploration of belonging and transformation.

The House of Dior and artists have always had strong ties, as shown by its history of friendships and collaborations. Photography holds a very special place in this history, thanks to the “Dior Photography and Visual Arts Award for Young Talents” created in 2018 in partnership with Luma Arles and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Photographie d’Arles. This event, initiated by Parfums Christian Dior, celebrates its taste for boldness and discovery, and is intended as a crossroads for exchanges and encounters with the young talents of tomorrow. For the third time as a partner of Offscreen, Dior would like to highlight Joel Quayson, winner of the special mention of the 8th edition 2025 of the Dior Photography and Visual Arts Award for Young Talents.