LagosPhoto Festival is the largest international photography festival in Nigeria and attracts over 20.000 visitors annually.[1] Founded in 2010 by Azu Nwagbogu of the African Artists Foundation, the festival spotlights emerging and established photographers from Africa and internationally.[2] With a strong focus on presenting historical and contemporary stories from the African continent, the month-long festival takes place at various indoor and outdoor venues and includes exhibitions, events, workshops, residencies, talks and digital programs. Some of the photographers and artists who have taken part are Viviane Sassen, Samuel Fosso, Hassan Hajjaj, Maimouna Guerresi, and Zanele Muholi.[3][4][5]
Editions
edit2010: No Judgement: Africa Under the Prism
editThe inaugural edition leveraged on Nigeria's 50 years of Independence and was curated by Azu Nwagbogu, Caline Chagoury and Marc Prust. Participating photographers were required to have worked in Lagos, Nigeria or in Africa shooting works that interpreted the theme ‘No Judgement: Africa Under the Prism’.[6]
2011: What’s Next Africa? The Hidden Stories
editThe second edition presented the hidden stories on the continent as opposed to the mis-represented, over-represented, sensationalized and dramatic images commonly covered with the power of photography. Titled ‘What’s Next Africa? The Hidden Stories’, the festival was curated by Azu Nwagbogu, Caline Chagoury, Marc Prust and Medina Dugger.[7]
2012: Seven Days in the Life of Lagos
editTitled ‘Seven Days in the Life of Lagos,’ the festival was aimed at capturing the energy and vibrancy of Lagos. A city of extreme contradictions, Lagos transforms with the fast pace of urban migration and the explosion of development and technology that is dissolving barriers and leading to new types of interaction. The festival was curated by Azu Nwagbogu, Caline Chagoury, Stanley Greene, Medina Dugger and Joseph Gergel.[8][9]
2013: The Mega City and the Non-City
edit‘The Megacity and the Non-City’ explored how the development of urban centers in Africa and photography has transformed our sense of place in a globally connected world..[10] The 21st century has been characterised by the rise of the megacity, with cities such as Lagos transitioning and adapting to vast changes taking place at an unprecedented speed. By situating photography at the core of their practice, the artists investigated the circulation of images in our society, their mass consumption and capacity to document personal and collective world-views. The festival was curated by Azu Nwagbogu.[11]
2014: Staging Reality, Documenting Fiction
edit'Staging Reality, Documenting Fiction' showcased contemporary photographers in Africa who delved into the connection between beliefs and truths.[12] By incorporating conceptual and performative strategies that go beyond traditional photographic practices, the artists challenged the confines of the photojournalistic gaze. Their works reflected a departure from conventional approaches, addressing complex social and political issues that define twenty-first-century Africa. The artists looked at alternative futures and how to construct fictive worlds, employing photography as a catalyst to probe the evolving realities of contemporary Africa. The festival was curated by Azu Nwagbogu.
2015: Designing Futures (sixth, 2015)
editThe LagosPhoto Festival's sixth edition, themed "Designing Futures," looked at African design, and our understanding of how we shape Africa as the central platform for discussing our historical, present, and future aspirations. The creation of images, identities, desires, ecologies, and cultures was explored through various mediums, including advertising, textiles, portraiture, and both factual and conceptual photography. These diverse avenues question how we process, navigate, and envision the possibilities within the realms of a future Africa. The festival was curated by Cristina de Middel. The festival was curated by Azu Nwagbogu.[13]
2016: Inherent Risk; Rituals and Performance
editThe central theme of the seventh edition, "Inherent Risk; Rituals and Performance," explored the constructed notions of gender, image, identity, social agency and power dynamics in contemporary society. The festival showcased the works of 30 photographers from 17 countries. The festival was curated by Azu Nwagbogu.
2017: Regimes of Truth
editThe 2017 iteration of the LagosPhoto Festival prompted artists to contemplate the prevailing systems of truths and beliefs, questioning the diminishing significance of the pursuit of reality in our era.[14] In contemporary times, photography has emerged as the modern repository for this fading quest for reality, not merely due to its perceived freedom, but rather because it encapsulates the synthesis and exposes the contradictions inherent in the knowledge society and its imperative for creativity. The festival was curated by Azu Nwagbogu.[15]
2018: Time has Gone
editUnder the theme "Time Has Gone," the focus the festival explored contemporary dialogues encompassing various aspects of time. Artists from diverse corners of the world engaged in discussions on the notion of urgency.[16] Each artist investigated practices of archiving, preserving and envisioning an Afro-centric future, concluding a 'time that is up'. The festival was curated by Azu Nwagbogu, Eva Barois de Caeval, Charlotte Langhorst, Wunika Mukan, Valentine Umansky.
2019: Passports
editPassports was the theme of the 10th edition of LagosPhoto Festival and asked the question ‘What are the options of living freely in a world that will be determined by borders?’[17] Artists of different nationalities were invited to explore options of a fluid world, where nationality, gender, and historical imbalances are secondary. The festival was curated by Azu Nwagbogu, Charlotte Langhorst and Maria-Pia Bernardoni.
Special Programmes
- Fast Forward
- Portrait of Humanity
- Women Through the Lens
2020: Rapid Response Restitution
editFor its eleventh edition, the festival focused on the theme ‘Rapid Response Restitution’, looking at the prospect of a decolonial "citizens' history."[18] Utilizing the democratic medium of photography, LagosPhoto established a Home Museum featuring over two hundred participants from the African Continent, the US, South America, China, and Europe.
The launch of Home Museum’s open call in May 2020 was synchronous with the virulent first wave of the Corona pandemic. With mobility and access to exhibitions severely hampered, AAF began to imagine a new way of building a digital museum through an extended concept of the home. The Home Museum served as a prototype for a citizens' institution, where every member of society actively could contribute to the communal understanding of cultural values and directly engage with questions of restitution, eliminating delays in the process. The festival was curated by Azu Nwagbogu, Dr. Clémentine Deliss, Dr. Oluwatoyin Sogbesan, and Asya Yaghmurian
2021: Memory Palace
editThe twelfth edition of the annual LagosPhoto introduced the theme "Memory Palace," delving into the connections between humans and memory.[19] It explores the transformative capacity of photography and images to ignite visual intellect, restoring fading and lost memories. The discourse evolved from the concept of the previous year’s festival of the Home Museum to the Memory Palace. This year's theme ‘Memory Palace’ looked at reimagining heritage and history relating to Africa and its diasporas. The festival was curated by Azu Nwagbogu and included a talk by Ibrahim Mahama.
Special Programmes
- Taurus - Obayomi Anthony exhibition
- Youths and Protest in Nigeria exhibition
2022: Remember Me - Liberated Bodies, Charged Objects
edit"Remember Me - Liberated Bodies, Charged Objects" was the theme of the 13th edition of the LagosPhoto Festival.[20][21] It questioned the subjectivity inherent in (colonial) archives and encouraged the creation of sustainable new models guided by both ancestral and contemporary wisdom. The festival was curated by Azu Nwagbogu.
2023: Ground State - Fellowship within the Uncanny
editThe theme for this year, "Ground State – Fellowship within the Uncanny," explores how to revive, mend, and restore the enigmatic histories vital for our survival.[22] The festival was curated by Peggy Sue Amison.
Special Programmes
- Ground to Remember by the Photographic Collective
- Listening to the Deepness by Como ser Fotografa
- Regarding the Pain of Others
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Curator Azu Nwagbogu on Restitution, Collaboration and African Feminism". Observer. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ O’Hagan, Sean (10 November 2020). "'We have lost a limb': Azu Nwagbogu, the visionary curator bringing African art home". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ Jansen, Charlotte (3 November 2016). "LagosPhoto: the Nigerian festival challenging the world's Afro-pessimism". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ^ "Africa's 'Post-Truth' In Focus At LagosPhoto 2017". HuffPost South Africa. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ^ Estrin, James. "Telling Complex Truths About Africa at LagosPhoto Festival". Lens Blog. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ^ Fasasi, Sola (2010). "Nigeria's 1st International Photography Festival Holds in Lagos", YNaija.
- (2010) LagosPhoto 2010. African Artists' Foundation Hosts LagosPhoto 2010: 'No Judgement - Africa Under the Prism'. Bella Naija.
- Sam-Duru, Prisca (2011). "Lagos Under a Critical Prism", Vanguard.
- Egbe, Esther (2010). "African Artists’ Foundation hosts Lagos Photo 2010 – 'No Judgement – Africa Under The Prism'" Archived 11 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine, All Voices. - ^ (2011) LagosPhoto Festival Archived 22 January 2014 at archive.today. Guide to Unique Photography Magazine.
- Dugger, Medina. (2011). LagosPhoto Festival. Lagos and Found.
- Gordan, Glenna (2011). "LagosPhoto Festival". Guernica. - ^ Dugger, Medina (2012). "LagosPhoto 2012 is Here!", Lagos and Found
- "7 Days in the Life of Lagos", YNaija
- Gordon, Glenna (2012). "LagosPhoto 2012", Guernica.
- "LagosPhoto 2012: 'Seven Days in the Life of Lagos'", Urban Knit 2012.
- Marie, Sarah (2012). "7 Days In the Life of Lagos", True African Original - ^ Etisalat Photo Competition Archived 27 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Etisalat, 2013.
- ^ POPCAP '13 Archived 9 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Piclet, 2013
- ^ Law-Viljoen, Bronwyn (2013). Cities, Real or Imagined: LagosPhoto 2013, Aperture.
- Megacity & Non-City at LagosPhoto Festival 2013 Archived 3 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Contemporary&.
- Kermeliotis, Teo (2013). "Lagos Photo Festival Puts Mega City in the Spotlight", CNN. - ^ World Press Photo Archived 14 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine 2013.
- ^ "LagosPhoto Festival 2015". Vogue Italy. Archived from the original on 13 October 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ^ Smyth, Diane. "Regimes of Truth at LagosPhoto Festival 2017 - 1854 Photography". www.1854.photography. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ "Regimes of Truth at LagosPhoto Festival 2017". British Journal of Photography. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- ^ "LagosPhoto 2018: Time Has Gone". Contemporary And (in German). Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ "The 10th Edition of LagosPhoto Titled 'Passports' Opens October 27, 2019". The Sole Adventurer. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ "Lagosphoto Festival 2020: Rapid Response Restitution - Home Museum". Contemporary And (in German). Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ "LagosPhoto in Memory Palace". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 5 January 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ "AFRICAN ARTISTS' FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES ARTIST LINEUP FOR LAGOSPHOTO FESTIVAL'S LARGEST EXPANSION". Anna Rosa Thomae. 9 October 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ Goethe-Institut Programme 2013, p. 17.
- ^ "LagosPhoto 23: Ground State – fellowship within the uncanny". artguide.artforum.com. Retrieved 6 April 2024.