Courtesy of Xopher Wallace
The anonymous South African visual artist known as Xopher Wallace -- shown here in his signature morphsuit, goggles and sweatshirt -- aims to inspire people to live their dreams while awake, through his "Sleepwalker" series.
Courtesy of Xopher Wallace
"I named my current ongoing project 'Sleepwalker,' because that's what a sleepwalker does -- dreams while physically awake," he tells CNN, adding that he uses the black morphsuit and goggles to evoke a sense of "loneliness in a surreal world."
Courtesy of Xopher Wallace
Wallace strives to address the themes of loneliness and believing in oneself. He says the series of photographs are heavily influenced by Japanese anime and the recurring dreams he had as a child.
Courtesy of Xopher Wallace
Wallace says he finds himself drawn to dark green tones and likes to use them in his photography.
Courtesy of Xopher Wallace
Initially, he wanted to pursue journalism, but found a passion for photography while in high school when he started using his brother's camera to recreate his favorite music videos. An interest in video editing led him to study photography and film at Boston College in the US.
Courtesy of Xopher Wallace
Taken in 2017, this photo was "the seed that started my Sleepwalker series," Wallace says. "I realized a lot (about) being honest and confident in executing my ideas."
Courtesy of Xopher Wallace
Born and raised in the Free State province south of Johannesburg, Wallace says that moving to Cape Town made him feel lonely. "Regardless of what I felt I had to keep moving forward towards the light with what I am trying to achieve," he says, and that's what he wants to depict through this photograph.
Courtesy of Xopher Wallace
Through this photograph titled "Nature Nap," he continues to explore the recurring theme of dreaming while awake.
Courtesy of Xopher Wallace
For this photo, Wallace says he was interested in symmetries and reflection, so he placed the camera on timer after he noticed the shiny floor. The photo was then edited by surrealist artist Luisa Azevedo, adding the trees behind the window on what Wallace described as an "empty canvas."
Courtesy of Xopher Wallace
With every empty space a possible canvas, Wallace also explores using light in night imagery. "The thought of playing with light is an idea I found fascinating, inspired by the brightness of the moon," he explains. "I was conveying how everyone has a different light to shine, no matter how dark it may seem."
Courtesy of Xopher Wallace
"This work was a confirmation that I was going in the direction I want with my photography," Wallace says, moving from urban to conceptual images. "This photo has paper planes representing my dreams and aspirations, and their potential to take the sky."
Courtesy of Xopher Wallace/vonMash
When South Africa went into lockdown during the pandemic, Wallace began creating more virtual galleries. The "Afridelic Trip" exhibition is viewed via Instagram by scanning the QR code (pictured) with the camera of a mobile device (or by clicking this link if already on mobile). In collaboration with fellow South African artist vonMash, who assisted in the art direction and provided the artwork on display, the themes are influenced by African mysticism. "As Africans, traditional masks represent the spirits and the wearer is often known to be possessed by who or what the mask represents," Wallace explains.
CNN  — 

For the artist known as Xopher Wallace, it all started with a recurring dream he had as a child.

In the dream, he would speak to people around him, but they never engaged. When he looked at his reflection, Wallace realized he was only a silhouette.

In 2017, the South African visual artist decided to become “anonymous,” taking the alias Xopher Wallace and wearing goggles, a morphsuit and sweatshirt in his photographs to keep his real identity a secret. For him, being anonymous means that people can focus mainly on his art and he can preserve “his authentic character.”

“In society I think we’re under pressure to only show the good side in our lives, whereas in my work I express even some of my negative feelings or feelings that make me feel uncomfortable,” Wallace said.

By using a blend of fine art photography and augmented reality, he merges the real and virtual worlds to bring his dreams to life. Wallace says he is also inspired by the Japanese anime series “Mob Psycho 100,” which uses imagery resembling the silhouette in his dreams.

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“For me, dealing with empty spaces is also dealing with an empty canvas, so I could decorate it as much as I want,” Wallace explained, adding he can shoot day or night, then digitally include extra visual elements such as lights or smoke.

For South Africa’s Virtual National Art Festival 2020, Wallace contributed by creating face filters. He also curated an online exhibition called “Afridelic Trip: Faces of Mixed Realities,” for the Fak’ugesi African Digital Innovation Festival, in which Wallace used artworks by fellow South African artist vonMash to design face filters and virtual galleries that presented the themes of “African mysticism and spiritual realms.”

Courtesy of Xopher Wallace
The 27-year-old visual artist blends the real world with the virtual one.

When the pandemic prompted nationwide lockdowns, shutting down galleries across the country, Wallace hosted his own online exhibition named “Inside/Outside,” inviting other South African visual artists to showcase their work. On the first day alone, Wallace said the event drew nearly 5,000 viewers.

Strengthening that online presence has allowed Wallace to expand the audience for his art, as well as help shine a light on other African digital artists.

“Times are changing,” he said. “People are looking into investing into the virtual realm instead of physical spaces.”

Scroll through the gallery at the top of this page to see the ways Wallace uses photography and mixed reality to present his dream world.