Aiken area photographer George Buggs wants people to use their imagination when they see his recent photography exhibit. 

“I hope that we all can use our imaginations,” Buggs said.

Buggs’s artwork will be displayed at The Center for African American History, Art and Culture as part of new exhibit, Anima: Now Sleep. A kick-off for the new exhibit was held Wednesday and feature composited works of photography and images created with artificial intelligence.

Buggs’s work has been displayed Aiken Center for the Arts, The McCormick Arts Center at the Keturah in McCormick, Equine Divine Art Gallery, South Side Gallery and more. He has a bachelor’s degree in history from Hampton University and master’s in creative writing from Brown University.

Buggs is from Boston but has lived in Aiken for the last 20 years.

Buggs said the work that was displayed are his anima and has the recurring image of a little girl in each photo.

An anima is defined as a someone’s true inner self, according to Webster’s Dictionary.

“She is somebody that has been with me for a long time as a morphing kind of figure since I took a photo of her many, many years ago,” he said.

The exhibit included a poem that explains the purpose of the images. Buggs said his work goes beyond the canvas and shows how photography can be a lesson not just for himself, but for others.

His favorite piece is “Swamp Angel” which to him reflects the mystery and horror. 

Another photo includes a fist going through a Confederate Flag. Buggs said it represents the people who say the flag has nothing to do with slavery but is about heritage.

“The fist represents something beyond human beings exerting its pressure on that sense of history and it also reflects the emergence of history,” Buggs said.

Dennis Bickers, who is also a photographer in the area, said his favorite pieces were the photos that featured the same little girl.

“I like supporting other people’s work,” Bickers said. 

Another attendee, Larry Mitchel who has known Buggs for a long time, came to support his friend and said the art was cool because he is not that artistic. He said his favorite was the “Swamp Angel” piece.

“It shows you how talented he really is because I thought he just took pictures; his photography is unbelievable,” Mitchell said.

The Center for African American History, Art and Culture Executive Director Juanita Campbell said she got in contact with Buggs after he attended another event at the center and said his art would be a great addition to the museum. 

“George is also someone who the community knows by his work, as well,” she said.

Campbell said having Buggs’s art at the center is one way he can express himself to the Aiken community.

“Having our community come to take a look at work, not only shares what we believe at the center, but it also reinforces the type of person George is,” Campbell said.

The exhibit will be on display from July 19 until September.