The annual Lagos Photo Festival opened to the general public last weekend at the Eko Hotel and Suites Victoria Island Lagos. Several amazing photos from award wining photographers were showcased at the exhibit, which had a large turnout of art lovers. The works of photographers such as William Ukoh, Fabrice Monteiro, Namsa Leuba, Alice Smeets and Vincente Paredes Gil were exhibited at the event. In case you missed the event here are five jarring works on display:
William Ukoh – Whiteshadows 1
William Ukoh is a Nigerian fashion photographer currently based in Toronto. ‘Whiteshadows I’ work is an ongoing series of his perception on cultural appropriation and the hidden discussion about taking ownership.
“I feel there is a much deeper conversation to be heard about borrowing, for the sake of advancement or borrowing for the sake of taking ownership”, Ukoh said.
Fabrice Monteiro – The Prophecy
Fabrice Monteiro is an upcoming artist based in the field of photojournalism, fashion photography, and portraiture. The Prophecy project shot in ten polluted locations in Senegal, raises a warning on the effect of pollution to the environment. The costume worn by the ghostly figures shown on the images were made from garbage and reflects the atmosphere and state of the location in which it was found. The project was made possible by Ecofund Organisation through a crowd funding campaign and was also produced through collaboration between Fabrice and Doulsy (Jah Gal), a Senegalese fashion and costume designer.
Alice Smeets – The Ghetto Tarot
Alice Smeets is a Belgian photographer, artist, journalist and filmmaker. She has been traveling to Haiti since 2007 to document the country and its people. She recently directed her first documentary ‘AISependence’ demonstrating the negative influence of the aid industry on the Haitian population.
‘The Ghetto Tarot’ is a photographic interpretation of the well known traditional ‘Rider Waite Smith Tarot’ deck. Using only materials found or created locally in Haiti, Alice was able to replicate the Ghetto Tarot scenes from the 1909 works of Pamela Colman-Smith.
Namsa Leuba – Zulu Kids
Namsa Leuba’s work has been published in numerous magazines, including I-D, Numéro, KALEIDOSCOPE, Vice Magazine and New York Magazine.
Her work titled “Zulu Kids” is a series, which was inspired by anti-apartheid movements and the impact of these movements on contemporary South African society. The gestures and symbolic actions of the Zulu kids are the expression of the will of the current generation to build their future and find their place in a contradictory society.
Vincente Paredes Gil – Pony Congo
Vincent Paredes Gil was born in Spain. His photo projects focus on realities where the protagonists are outside social rules because of their instincts and awareness.
His work, ‘Pony Congo’ depicts the inequality in the origin of all conflicts by showing the opposite in realities of two worlds, the Pony Championship and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He did this by presenting them face to face in order to remind us that no matter how high walls are, they can never obscure what is on the other side.
“I have chosen to depict two worlds the first concerns children who have dreamed of having a pony and the other child labourers who have had no access to education in DRC”, said Paredes Gil.
