{"id":9676,"date":"2026-07-06T18:19:40","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T18:19:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kenyatopstories.co.ke\/?p=9676"},"modified":"2026-07-06T18:19:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T18:19:42","slug":"tecno-and-angelica-dass-co-launched-100-portraits-of-becoming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kenyatopstories.co.ke\/index.php\/2026\/07\/06\/tecno-and-angelica-dass-co-launched-100-portraits-of-becoming\/","title":{"rendered":"TECNO and Ang\u00e9lica Dass Co-Launched \u201c100 Portraits of Becoming,\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Living Archive of <\/a>Human Possibilities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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TECNO and Ang\u00e9lica Dass Co-Launched \u201c100 Portraits of Becoming,\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Living Archive of <\/a>Human Possibilities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Co-Created by TECNO and Ang\u00e9lica Dass, \u201c100 Portraits of Becoming\u201d Will Present 100 Ways to See Humanity, One Portrait at a Time.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NAIROBI, KENYA, July 6th<\/sup>, 2026<\/strong> \u2014 As AI increasingly shapes how people are seen and represented, an urgent question emerges: how do we ensure technology reflects humanity in all its <\/a>complexity?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TECNO believes the answer starts with a simple principle \u2014 technology should help the world see people more truthfully. With that belief, TECNO and Brazilian visual artist Ang\u00e9lica Dass launch \u201c100 Portraits of Becoming,\u201d a two-year initiative that covers five countries and begins today in Nairobi, Kenya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Co-created with Ang\u00e9lica Dass, the \u201c100 Portraits of Becoming\u201d initiative aims to capture 100 authentic portraits of individuals worldwide and document their unique journeys of becoming. These portraits \u2014 spanning diverse backgrounds \u2014 serve as a testament to the human tapestry and spark a global cultural conversation surrounding authentic representation, identity, dignity, and human becoming in the age of AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This collaboration builds on a mutual commitment to recognizing the true diversity of human life, bringing together TECNO\u2019s inclusive imaging innovation, which helps individuals be represented more fairly, and Dass\u2019s human-centered approach to portraiture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery image shapes assumptions \u2014 why it matters, who matters, and how people are understood. That makes fair and accurate representation increasingly important in the AI era. But beyond representation lies a bigger question: who is the real person behind the image?\u201d said Jack Guo, General Manager at TECNO. \u201cThrough this project, we want to move beyond representation as technical accuracy alone and explore representation as recognition \u2014 enabling technology not only to capture people faithfully, but to help people feel truly seen. By moving beyond bias, labels, and stereotypes, we hope to build a future where technology reflects people more authentically and allows the world to understand them more fully. Truthful representation is the foundation of genuine human understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a photographer, I realize that I can be a channel for others to communicate. The \u2018100 Portraits of Becoming\u2019 initiative with TECNO creates such a channel for people to speak for themselves and be seen on their own terms. That is why this collaboration with TECNO felt meaningful to me,\u201d said Ang\u00e9lica Dass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy portrait practice has always been less about documenting appearance and more about creating space for people to exist beyond assumptions. What moved me about this collaboration is the shared vision and the possibility of bringing that intention into a medium used by millions every day. I am excited that this initiative is not about defining people \u2014 it is about allowing identity to remain open, layered, and human. Because being visible is not the same as being understood. True recognition begins when we are seen as we really are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ang\u00e9lica Dass: Seeing Humanity Beyond Skin Tones<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The collaboration with Ang\u00e9lica Dass is a natural extension of TECNO\u2019s vision and Dass\u2019s exploration of how technology, culture, and personal stories come together to create truthful forms of human representation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an award-winning Brazilian-Spanish visual artist best k<\/a>nown for Human\u00e6<\/em> \u2014 a global portrait series that challenges conventional ideas of racial identity \u2014 Ang\u00e9lica Dass recognized long before others that skin tones are more than just colors; they are reflections of unique cultures and individual identities. Her work emphasizes that every person deserves to be viewed as an individual rather than a category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>In her practice, Dass uses portraiture to let the individuality of her subjects come through, treating skin tone not as a label, but as an entry point into personal narratives. Her impact resonates far beyond traditional galleries; her 2016 TED Talk on skin and identity has reached over two million viewers, and her work has been showcased at leading platforms and institutions including the World Economic Forum, UNESCO, the Migration Museum in London, and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, while appearing in publications such as National Geographic, TIME, and Foreign Affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne thing I appreciate about the \u2018100 Portraits of Becoming\u2019 initiative is our shared belief that portraiture is not simply about recording appearance visually. It is a way of questioning assumptions, challenging labels, and creating space for people to be seen and understood beyond stereotypes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From 100 Portraits to 100 Ways of Seeing Humanity in Five Countries<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through \u201c100 Portraits of Becoming,\u201d Dass will photograph 100 individuals across five countries, beginning in Kenya. Participants, who register via a dedicated global website, are photographed in natural light, without filters, and in attire of their own choosing to ensure maximum authenticity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to stepping in front of the lens, each individual will share their personal stories of growth and evolution, illustrating how they have navigated various cultural and societal shifts to become who they are today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These portraits and narratives will be featured on the project\u2019s website, creating a \u201cLiving Archive.\u201d This digital repository will serve as a space where individuals from all walks of life can be seen, heard, and understood as part of a broader human story. The archive aims to sustain a cultural conversation about dignity and identity as AI continues to redefine representation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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TECNO Universal Tone: Expanding What Technology Can See<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c100 Portraits of Becoming\u201d will be captured on the TECNO CAMON 50 Ultra, powered by TECNO Universal Tone Technology, which serves as the technological foundation for the project\u2019s commitment to truthful representation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically, mainstream AI models and imaging algorithms have often been trained on datasets that conform to a narrow range of aesthetics, leaving them unable to reflect the full diversity of humanity. As a result, people with non-fair skin tones have too often been misrepresented in mobile photography \u2014 over-brightened, underexposed, or rendered in ways that do not reflect how they truly appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Launched in 2023, TECNO Universal Tone is the industry\u2019s most advanced AI-powered full-spectrum skin tone imaging technology. It integrates TECNO\u2019s industry-benchmark multi-skin-tone color card featuring 372 skin tones and expanding, together with the industry\u2019s largest and most accurate skin tone database.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By supporting more accurate capture of the full spectrum of human skin tones, Universal Tone enables the portraits in this initiative to begin from a place of fairness and authenticity. It helps ensure that each subject is not corrected toward a narrow standard, but represented with the dignity, nuance, and truthfulness that the project demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>From Nairobi to the World: One Hundred Ways to See Humanity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c100 Portraits of Becoming\u201d begins in Kenya for a reason. Home to one of the world’s youngest populations and often described as the \u201cSilicon Savannah,\u201d Kenya represents a future that is already being shaped by the new generation \u2014 not elsewhere, but here. From pioneering mobile financial inclusion to advancing local innovation across industries, Kenya has long challenged assumptions about where progress begins. Yet representation often lags behind reality, giving way to assumptions. In global media and increasingly in AI-generated imagery, places like Kenya are still too often framed through inherited narratives rather than lived complexity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Kenya, this project starts from a different belief: people should not be defined by the stories told about them, but<\/p>\n\n\n\n

by the stories they choose to tell themselves. The inaugural portraits reflect that spirit \u2014 featuring entrepreneurs, farmers, dancers, artists, and daily creators whose lives cannot be reduced to a single narrative. They are not catching up with the future. They are helping define it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople are always quick to tell you what you are and where you fit,\u201d said Alexander Odhiambo, a Kenyan participant in \u201c100 Portraits of Becoming\u201d and co-founder of Solutech Limited, an enterprise software company serving manufacturers and distributors across Africa. \u201cI stopped waiting for that. The story that counts is the one I’m writing myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>What begins in Nairobi doesn\u2019t end here. Over the next two years, \u201c100 Portraits of Becoming\u201d travels to the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, T\u00fcrkiye, and Brazil \u2014 building a living archive of people, identities, and the moments that define them. The first portraits and stories go live online in early August, marking the start of the full campaign rollout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The future of imaging is not only about seeing more. It is about understanding more. Through one technology, five countries, and one hundred portraits, \u201c100 Portraits of Becoming\u201d offers one hundred ways to see humanity, one story at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Living Archive of Human Possibilities TECNO and Ang\u00e9lica Dass Co-Launched \u201c100 Portraits of Becoming,\u201d…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kenyatopstories.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kenyatopstories.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kenyatopstories.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kenyatopstories.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kenyatopstories.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9676"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kenyatopstories.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9676\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9680,"href":"https:\/\/kenyatopstories.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9676\/revisions\/9680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kenyatopstories.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kenyatopstories.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kenyatopstories.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}