Trevor Stuurman (b.1992) is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning visual artist, creative director and media entrepreneur. Blurring the lines with his work behind the lens, and his work in front of it, Trevor’s oeuvre is crafting a complex new discourse about the
role of young African artists and the nature of virtual mediums in the continent’s contemporary creative culture.
Born in Kimberley in South Africa’s Northern Cape province (the country’s former mining capital), Trevor’s work combines his educational background in motion picture live performance with a multitude of creative fields such as fashion and performance art, allowing him to find and capture a uniquely African ‘perspective on beauty’, he explains, that reminds him of home: ‘a place that is imbued with colour, love and belonging that reflects Africa.’
Starting out as a street photographer capturing Johannesburg’s vibrant creative scene in the early 2000’s on his Tumblr page Stuurman Style Diary, Trevor rapidly grew into a household name during his tenure as Elle magazine’s style reporter in 2012. Since then he has gone on to captivate the public with his work, seeing him named Marie Claire magazine’s Image Maker for 2018, GQ magazine’s ‘King of Creativity’, one of Forbes Africa’s 30 Under 30 and TIME Magazine’s Next Generation Leader for 2021, Honorary Icon Award, Abryanz Style and Fashion Awards in Uganda, an Emy Africa Awards, Man of Style award in Ghana. In the same year Trevor was selected by the Disney group to interpret Marvel’s Black Panther film into a new work, become one of British Vogue’s contributors – alongside a prominent feature of his photography in the Photo Vogue Festival — and had his work published in the Swinging Africa monograph by Emmanuelle Courreges.
His work with global humanitarian foundations includes the United Nations, the Bill & Miranda Gates Foundation and the Obama Foundation to document former American president Barack Obama during his travels in Africa.
Described as “a cultural force” by CNN’s African voices feature, Trevor continues his work in beauty and fashion. He has captured the likes of Dr. Esther Mahlangu, Miss Universe 2019 Zizobini Tunzi, Naomi Campbell, Teyana Taylor, Shanelle Nyasiase, Gigi & Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Iman Hammam. Trevor’s involvement as part of the team who created and styled Black is King for Beyonce a British Vogue contributor, Trevor’s work at Arise Africa and Afro Punk Johannesburg has contributed significantly to the increasing global interest in the work of creatives from the continent.