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About Damien Schumann

Damien Schumann found an interest in photography almost by mistake while travelling through the Middle East and Asia (2001 until early 2003). In December 2003 Schumann embarked on a journey to compile his first body of work. For this he hitchhiked from Cape Town (South Africa) to Ramalla (Palestine) to put a face to emerging Africa. The photographic exhibition - Balala was exhibited widely in Cape Town on his return.

Recognition of Balala led to him receiving a scholarship at the Ruth Prowse School of Art to study Photography. During this time he started working with the Desmond Tutu Tuberculosis Centre and documenting the lifestyle and living conditions surrounding TB and HIV in the townships of Cape Town and Lusaka, Zambia. This work was launched on World TB Day 2006 as an art instillation where a shack (informal house) was recreated and used as an exhibition space for his pictures.

His Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu opened this exhibition with a warming speech.

The Shack opened the doors to his final year varsity work – Dialogues which shifted his focus from lifestyle and living conditions to the psychological effects of disease. This in turn drew his attention to stigma and discrimination. Here he found the foundation to create Face It! – The Stigma Exhibition.

He focused his time on presenting work to policy and decision makers in attempts to change policy and gain necessary recourses for the given cause. He also took his work back to communities where he photographed and used the product of their participation and input to create education and social mobilization campaigns so that individuals could do what is in their power to combat against the given issue.

The development of his work has drawn the attention of organizations involved in advocacy, communications and social mobilization (ACSM) as well as activism and education wishing to collaborate to fight for mutual causes. The knowledge gained from such organizations grouped with Schumann’s creative interpretation is assisting in shaping a new era of pro-active art. The most recent exhibition being Nuestra Casa (Our Home)

For more information about Damien, please visit his website: dspgallery.com