In "Mommy Smile," Carlos Idun-Tawiah transforms a simple moment into an intimate meditation on memory and heritage through vernacular photography.

This powerful 2022 work from his acclaimed "Sunday Special" series features a figure holding a vintage Brownie Hawkeye Flash camera—the iconic Bakelite box that democratized photography between 1949 and 1961.

The photograph functions as both homage and intervention within Ghana's rich photographic tradition. Idun-Tawiah's deliberate choice of the Brownie—originally priced at just seven dollars—speaks directly to photography's democratizing power, positioning the camera as an instrument accessible to ordinary families rather than professional studios.

What makes this image particularly striking is its layered approach to spectatorship. We witness someone documenting their world while simultaneously becoming viewers of that very act of documentation. This meta-photographic strategy reveals Idun-Tawiah's sophisticated understanding of how images operate as vessels for both personal memory and collective heritage.

The work belongs to his broader project of creating "photographic biopics"—staged recreations that blur boundaries between memoir and fiction. Within "Sunday Special," Idun-Tawiah reconstructs childhood memories of Christian Sundays in Ghana, employing streetcast models to embody family roles and community relationships that might otherwise remain undocumented.

Through "Mommy Smile," Idun-Tawiah confronts essential questions about representation and cultural preservation, establishing himself as a vital voice in contemporary African photography. His approach demonstrates how artists can honor photographic history while creating new visual languages that celebrate Black joy, community, and the sacred act of remembering.