I didn't think I was on a journey of discovery when I chanced upon the first image of Pieter Hugo's. But the visual of the Nigerian with his pet hyena was so powerful, I couldn't help myself. From the first image, I found the name of the photographer and the entire series. Each image more potent and virile than the next. WOW.

Here are but a few from the series The Hyena & other Men...

Control

Once i lined up a few images of Pieter Hugo's. I thought that would be enough... But then I found a video which was directed and shot by Pieter Hugo. As shown below, SPOEK MATHAMBO - CONTROL is eerie, mesmerizing and something you won't be able to look away from. The fact that it is a cover of the classic electronic She's Lost Control by Joy Division, only makes it more fantastic. Suggestion: give time to let the video load. I found it studdered some.

Pieter Hugo Bio

Here's a bit of info i pulled from Pieter Hugo's wiki page:

Pieter Hugo was born 1976 and grew up in Cape Town, South Africa. He is a South African photographer who primarily works in portraiture and whose work engages with both documentary and art traditions with a focus on African communities.

Early on in his career he noticed that, "he often found himself being critically scrutinized by the subject he was photographing. It was then that he decided to switch to a larger and more cumbersome format of photography, one that would require negotiating consent and dialogue with the person being photographed - a more sedate and contemplative approach."

While receiving a lot of 'critical bouquets', Hugo has also been accused of sensationalising and exploiting the exotic "other". Hugo responds, "My intentions are in no way malignant, yet somehow people pick it up in that way. I've travelled through Africa, I know it, but at the same time I'm not really part of it... I can't claim to [have] an authentic voice, but I can claim to have an honest one."

Discover more of his work on his website www.pieterhugo.com, an article on the website Artsy.net and Artsy's Pieter Hugo page.