Monday 21 September 2015

In ‘Lagos Open Range 1’ artists showcase Lagos in aesthetic forms



ADA DIKE
The opening of the maiden edition of photography exhibition, ‘Lagos Open Range 1’, took place on September 12, 2015 at Goethe-Institut Nigeria, City Hall Catholic Mission Street, Lagos Island.
Curated by a renowned Nigerian photographer Abraham Oghobase, video artist Jude Anogwih and supported by Goethe-Institut Nigeria, artists participating in ‘Lagos Open Range 1’ include Aderemi Adegbite, Enitan Adebowale, Tunji Lana, Charles Otuke Ologeh, Logor Oluwamuyiwa, Andrew Esiebo, Rahima Gambo and Jeremiah Ikongio.
We learnt that the exhibition is primarily conceived to promote a new form of collaboration and presentation of photographs.



The Lagos photographic scene, according to the exhibition organizers, is idiosyncratic in outlook – more than any other African city. “Lagos is a city of contradictions that starkly highlights the paradoxes in life as well as in nature. Here artists, photographers, freely swap ideas on various themes that often embrace politics, the economy and religion. Every new day sees the birth of a ‘star’ keen to make their mark in the seething cauldron that they are thrust into. The artists are domiciled in the city and the city is their subject matter. The chosen themes are often impromptu, but with the passage of time these have become ‘classics’ in their own right. The ‘classical’ themes paved the way for collaborations with local and global partners, with the resultant exposures within and on the international scene.
“They poetically scrutinize significant dimensions of our realities in diverse genres, styles and perspectives.nIn addition to this, Goethe-Institut Nigeria is organizing two Workshops for professional photographers:
“Calin Kruse from dienacht Publishing will work on the designing of photobooks, and Michael Maria Müller (artificial eye print) and Benjamin Füglister (POPCAP) will present techniques for professional photo printing. These workshops are for selected participants only,” they explained.

Below are the works and explanations from the artists:
Bosnia Series by Adebowale Enitan
A Lagos based Fine Arts photographer, Mr. Adebowale Enitan, is exhibiting his works, ‘Bosnia Series’ he done in 2012, which documents the effects of the 1992-1995 Bosnian War. “The work is about the effects of war, how it lasts overtime and how it affects the people and the place even though the years have passed, the memory of what happened stays around the people and stays around the buildings,” Enitan said.
Enitan
Asked whether he travelled to Bosnia to do the work, he said: “I went to Bosnia in 2012.” He explains what made him to take interest in Bosnian War by saying that: “It was at a time I was studying in Geneva, Switzerland so, it was an opportunity to go on a trip with some other photographers and some other international students who were doing work in International Relations. So I took the opportunity to experience a different culture, to see a different environment and thankfully, I was able to come up with a body of work I enjoyed. I came out with a different experience in a different perspective. I actually saw the effects of the war first hand, not in a magazine. I went there to see what happened.
“We spoke to some of the citizens and some mothers who had lost their sons and husbands in the war. They told their experiences, how they felt about it and what they were going through. A lot of them were still shaking and sad about what happened. Some were able to move on while the pain lingers in the lives of others. Some broke down in tears as they recounted memories to us.”
Enitan studied Computer Science and Photography in school. Basically, his Bonian project is complete so, he is currently trying to do a documentary on upcoming musicians by trying to capture their moments as they are entering their first concerts, getting their first record label or trying to get experience. “It will be in form a photo-documentary.”
On the lesson he wants Nigerians to learn from his work, Enitan said: “From the Bosnian war, there is a sense of isolation, destruction and hopelessness. I want people to understand that there is always a chance to talk about problems. Dialogue is the best option. We should not wait until an issue becomes too hot before we address it. Always keep the lines of communication open and it is also important for us to learn from our history so that we don’t repeat the mistakes.”
Time-out by Aderemi Adegbite
Adegbite
A renowned photographer and video artist, Aderemi Adegbite, has been an artist for five years now, taking photography and video arts. The title of his work is ‘Time-out. “My new work is an archive which tells a story about my uncle (on my maternal side). The reason I am imposing myself on him is the fact that we have the same story and I am actually telling my own story through his own. I chose him for this work because of the close relationship between us. I have had his images for over four years and I didn’t know what to do with it. We went for a festival so he brought those images and I told him that I was taking them to Lagos to create some kind of archive with them but, last year, I had depression and this depression led me to create the work towards the tail end of depression which was for me, kind of liberation to get relieved from the depression. Also, he was the breadwinner of the family when he was young and he had a lot of money. Now, whenever we are together, he is always telling me that he is not a happy man due to the fact my other uncles are not supporting him now that he does not have money. He wasn’t the firstborn but, I am the firstborn of my mother. I realized that my name, ‘Aderemilekun’, which means ‘He has come to soothe my sorrow’ is what I have been doing all my life. Even before I got into depression because, I was thinking of how to take care of myself and others. So I realise that my uncle is the only person I can connect with, because I don’t want to get old and start nagging or regretting. So I see myself in his life. I want to get to his level and be satisfied being able to take care of myself, my siblings and others. That is one part of the story.
“On the other layer, it is about decolonization. I am talking about self decolonization. I have to decolonize myself by my own story and history. In knowing my history I know that if I follow the steps of my uncle, I will make mistakes which I will regret in future when I get to his age. But now, if I am able to decolonize myself, I would know that going that way is not right. I have to do things for myself, think about future and save for my future. That is decolonization on one side.
“Another aspect of decolonization is, as a photographer, I have to decolonize myself to know my story and history for me to be able to tell other people’s story. If I don’t know my personal story I cannot tell your story. That is what I believe. As a photographer, you have a lot of images. I want smile when I look into my system and see your photograph. I want to smile because I know your story.  At times, those stories make you laugh or cry but, I want to be the one that will feel those stories, I don’t want to see people in passing on my system or my camera anymore.”
Other works from artists who were absent at the opening of the exhibition among others include: View of Lagos, View of Abuja and Ebute Metta area of the Mainland, Lagos.
The picture titled ‘Ukeria Israel’ talks about a tailor and mother of two children who moved from Imo State to Abuja. She dreamt of becoming a nurse as that has been her passion. Presently, she is doing tailoring to support her family. 

Oshodi by Ologeh Otuke Charles
A visual artist, Ologeh Otuke Charles, is showcasing his work, ‘Oshodi’. According to him, his work is like a documentary of the space, Oshodi in Lagos, Nigeria. He pointed out that one of his works was done during the 2006 census. “I took the photograph during the census that is why nobody is on picture.”
Another of his works is a representation of what goes on in the space. “I call this picture ‘Bend Down’. Ladies are busy picking stuffs like clothes from the ground. A trader is displaying his market while some people are discussing prices,. Said.”
There is another work he took within Oshodi market. “The traders inside the market don’t go out to get food. Hawkers bring food, water and so on to sell to traders.”
 Lana Black by Tunji Lana
Tunji Lana said his works are like the futuristic imagining of places such as, Ozumba Mbadiwe, Akin Adesola in Lagos, Nigeria and Stuttguart in Germany. “It is a Lagos we imagined and composed. Basically, that is an attempt at what in forms these images. Also, I got tired of seeing pictures of places -one dimensional, two dimensional. I wanted people to guess to know if they will say, “This can’t be Lagos’. These are areas you pass normally without really taking time to appreciate what they are and what they could be.
“The concept exerts that the concept can be beyond the ordinary and the subject, being the person, can see much more exercised or trained vision. The project explores the concept of the new way or path of endless possibilities to seeing things. I tried to emphasise the concept of thinking outside the box. In summary, my work seeks to excite, provoke and challenge, thereby engaging the public with diverse perspectives.”
Monochrome-Lagos by Logor Oluwamuyiwa
Logor Oluwamuyiwa’s work is titled ‘Monochrome-Lagos’. According to Logor, it is a series of black and white photographs on Lagos with a conscious decision to document the lines, the pattern and the perspectives, people’s daily narratives and how they relate to the city and vice versa in form of nuances and daily narratives that reflects the city vibrancy and energy.
“Monochrome-Lagos is a visual tale of an artist’s relationship with Lagos as muse and canvas. On days when her ironic generosity offers less than $100 a weekly survival income in my attempt to fulfill a career as an artist, Lagos is to me what New York was to Gary Winogrand and what Barcelona and Paris meant to Picasso. Lagos like Napoli. “Napoli Be Eko” goes the gospel according to fuji maestro, Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, one out of many of “us” the romancers of a city famous for her manic ability to go from embarrassing zero to impressive hundred in all its aesthetics, idiosyncrasies and masses – Lagosians.
“it is a three-year project. The intention is to continue for another ten years.”
On why he chose monochrome, he says, “Colour is a default form of beauty. By natural aesthetics we can differentiate different form of colour. We can interpret them in different forms and they jump at us. It is like our everyday definition of what beauty is like. Lagos has been photographed by many artists in colours and other forms, especially, its popular yellow buses and others but, to add my own creative opinion into this database, I thought, what if I shoot Lagos in Monochrome, will Lagos become ugly? So the intent is to see what I find as a curious consciousness of photographing the city. So far, it has been interesting! Monochrome work is a digital project. It is more for the online presence. It is the feedback from the online platform that led to this exhibition.”
Oluwamuyiwa worked in a real estate firm before going fully into photography. Asked whether his craft pays his bills, he answered in affirmative. “As a full time photographer, I take documentary works, conceptual works and I do campaigns for small business.”
He studied Computer and Information Science.
The exhibition opens 10am-4pm daily from 12 to 26 September and on appointments on weekends.

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