Lagos Photo continued where it left off when its second edition opened at the Eko Hotel and Suites on October 9, Adewole Ajao reports Two Hundred images gave a lift to the escalator entrance of the Eko Hotel and Suites as 41 photographers opened another edition of the Lagos Photo at the Eko Hotel in Lagos. In a visual arts year where photography shows had been outpaced by other media exhibitions yet again, it was good to see some promise from an indoor and outdoor exhibition that attracted a blend of photographers from around the world.
“The theme is very different but we want art to reclaim public spaces around Lagos. The idea is for art to be all over the city while inspiring the general public to determine their own destiny and be creative,” said Azu Nwagbogu of the African Artists Foundation.
His organisation, the European Union National Institutes for Culture and Photo and telecoms operator Etisalat had made the whole endeavour possible. Apart from Nwagbogu, Marc Prust, Caline Chagoury and Medina Bugger are other curators for the photography festival. With such a large contingent of photographers, the diversity of imagery was expected. Ditto the various feelings that emerged from the viewers. Apart from the 200 pictures at the Eko Hotel Venue, there were also a thousand images spread around parks in the metropolis.
With such images already occupying prominent positions around Lagos, Nwagbogu added that the annual practice that commenced last year is defiant in its resolve to reclaim public spaces via art. “We have added a lot more and have a wider collection. I have a massive focus on thematic representation of the theme.”
An undercurrent of the pictures at the Eko Hotel and Suites opening are the hidden stories from the continent. The theme What’s Next Africa? The Hidden Stories inspired bittersweet shots as each photographer tried to give an exhaustive overview to the show’s title. Chinenye Godsproperty John captures the environmental challenges prevalent to Lagos. Canals filled with filth and the remains of a building that had been engulfed in a natural disaster are his images for the day.