POPSUGAR: What was the hardest challenge you faced while photographing the 2024 Pirelli calendar?
Prince Gyasi: I didn’t have any challenges because we were fully prepared. And if there was anything going wrong, we already had a backup plan and knew what to do. I spent three months in Paris working on the concept and sketching with my production team. One of my photographer friends, Joshua Kissi, said something to me when I was a kid: “Make sure you’re always ready when it comes.” So, my mind works like that. I’m not perfect, but I always try as much as possible to stay in the zone and juggle my relationships with my passion, which is my art. At the end of the day, God will always make sure that I win with quality work, because I’m prepared and he’s blessed me with that gift. He’s the only one that can nourish it more.
“As long as you touch the Pirelli calendar, you’re an iconic artist.”
PS: Are there any photographers who have photographed the Pirelli calendar in the past that you look up to?
PG: I look up to a lot of artists, like James Turrell. But growing up as a kid in Ghana, artist Joshua Kissi was like a big brother to me. Our works are completely different, but in most of his articles, he says that I inspire him, so I will always extend that same grace to him. Gordon Parks is also an amazing guy. But I’m more inspired by painters than photographers because I majored in abstract painting, sculpture, and clay work carving. I’m also an IT guy and am inspired by people in tech, plus artists and musicians like Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, JAY-Z, and Burna Boy. I hope I’m not forgetting anyone. My mom . . . I mean, I feel like Tim Walker’s Andy is iconic as well, and Emma Summerton is also very iconic. Everybody’s iconic. As long as you touch the Pirelli calendar, you’re an iconic artist.
PS: Do you have any other bucket-list, career-defining hopes for the future when it comes to fashion or photography?
PG: One of the things I really want to do is to come up with a sneaker line because I love fashion. If you follow my journey, you will know there’s one brand I would love to work with when it comes to sneakers, and I’m on their radar, so hopefully they come through quickly. You need to be quick before these ideas go to another brand. When it comes to photography, I don’t rush into doing collaborations. I make sure I’m very strategic and very picky about who I collaborate with. So most of the year, I exhibit art pieces that I create. I have collectors at the end of the day who are waiting for me to feed them. If a project feels right, I always go out of my way to compromise. With a project like Pirelli, I try to bring my art skills into it. So I will not call the Pirelli project a fashion project. I’ll call it an art project, because that’s how I made it look and that’s what I wanted it to be.