Jude Lartey: Freezing Time for the Sake of Tomorrow

At just 25, Ghanaian imagemaker and filmmaker Jude Lartey has built a world of his own, a visual language born from light, rhythm, and emotion. In his photographs, masculinity softens and community expands. Fashion becomes something closer to memory than material. “Since childhood, I’ve been fascinated by imagery and its power to freeze time,” he recalls. “My late grandad used to show me photos from when he worked as Kwame Nkrumah’s bodyguard. Those stories made me realise that, through images, you can keep history alive.”

Lartey’s journey began not in art school, but through curiosity. Entirely self-taught, he turned his lens towards everyday Ghana, finding cinematic detail in what others might overlook—the quiet between gestures, the texture of a shoreline, the choreography of friendship. His work, whether editorial or documentary, draws from an inscrutable emotional honesty. Land of the Morees, his debut solo exhibition, documents life inside a small fishing community with the tenderness of someone who is both an insider and observer. “I grew up loving coastal towns,” he says. “They’ve always felt like home.”

He makes a concerted effort to involve people from his community in his projects. “Being young and building a career from Ghana, I hope to show others that their dreams are possible, too,” he shares. “My work is as much about representation as it is about creation.”

Citing James Barnor, Malick Sidibé, and Sanlé Sory, whose portraits shaped a generation’s idea of identity and style, Lartey says that his references are engrained in African visual history. “Their images felt so real yet cinematic,” he explains. “It gave me the power to tell stories of my own generation for those who come next.” His fashion work is infused with this essence, where he builds full sets in his home studio and pairs local muses with a distinct sense of drama. 

Echoing the photographer’s penchant for exploring themes of masculinity and community, his campaign for Converse transformed young Ghanaian skaters into icons, capturing the essence of a generation and a specific moment in time. His name now resides within the pages of GQ Middle East, The Guardian, and Dazed, yet his grounding never wavers. And if there’s one thing highlighted by recent months, it’s that the walls of Lartey’s small Accra studio can no longer contain his vision. Not only did he collaborate with the British Fashion Council on a London Fashion Week tunnel installation, but his work was also exhibited at Photo Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland.

For Lartey, however, recognition is just a byproduct of purpose. “I want my work to create a universal feeling,” he says. “You know when you watch a film in a language you don’t understand but still connect to it deeply? That’s the kind of emotional resonance I’m after.” His process is scored by sound, a rotation of rhythm and stillness, as rigorous research anchors every frame. “The thrill of creating something new keeps me going,” he continues. “When I find an idea that resonates, I dig until I understand it completely.” 

Raw, human, and reflective of a Ghana that is modern yet tied to its ancestries, that synthesis of instinct and study gives his imagery its depth. “Ultimately, I want my work to empower the next generation, to make people believe in their vision and make it real,” he reveals. And if his images linger long after you’ve seen them, then that’s the point.