@lagos_biennial

Favour Jonathan (@br0wnn_sugar) is a Nigerian-born multidisciplinary artist living and working in London. She constantly explores themes of home, identity and womanhood from the perspective of an African woman in the United Kingdom. “A Statement of Pride” brings a new definition to the formality of the passport photograph. For Favour, the use of a passport photograph to document her hairstyles is about celebrating her Nigerian heritage and being able to reflect back on her personal growth. Her use of a type of formal identification, and presenting a more personalised, meaningful association with it, can be seen as a way to speak back to the increased political conservatism and migratory policies that constantly seek to identify, monitor and create barriers around those who are not of European heritage. Each photo, taken over a period of five months, displays Favour wearing a different hairstyle (all self-styled) and channelling personas from Janet Jackson circa 1993 to a traditional woman of Favour’s homeland in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. The work is a celebration of black hair as a source of fierce independence and pride.

Favour Jonathan (@br0wnn_sugar) is a Nigerian-born multidisciplinary artist living and working in London. She constantly explores themes of home, identity and womanhood from the perspective of an African woman in the United Kingdom. “A Statement of Pride” brings a new definition to the formality of the passport photograph. For Favour, the use of a passport photograph to document her hairstyles is about celebrating her Nigerian heritage and being able to reflect back on her personal growth. Her use of a type of formal identification, and presenting a more personalised, meaningful association with it, can be seen as a way to speak back to the increased political conservatism and migratory policies that constantly seek to identify, monitor and create barriers around those who are not of European heritage. Each photo, taken over a period of five months, displays Favour wearing a different hairstyle (all self-styled) and channelling personas from Janet Jackson circa 1993 to a traditional woman of Favour’s homeland in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. The work is a celebration of black hair as a source of fierce independence and pride.

Favour Jonathan (@br0wnn_sugar) is a Nigerian-born multidisciplinary artist living and working in London. She constantly explores themes of home, identity and womanhood from the perspective of an African woman in the United Kingdom. “A Statement of Pride” brings a new definition to the formality of the passport photograph. For Favour, the use of a passport photograph to document her hairstyles is about celebrating her Nigerian heritage and being able to reflect back on her personal growth. Her use of a type of formal identification, and presenting a more personalised, meaningful association with it, can be seen as a way to speak back to the increased political conservatism and migratory policies that constantly seek to identify, monitor and create barriers around those who are not of European heritage. Each photo, taken over a period of five months, displays Favour wearing a different hairstyle (all self-styled) and channelling personas from Janet Jackson circa 1993 to a traditional woman of Favour’s homeland in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. The work is a celebration of black hair as a source of fierce independence and pride.

hFactor collective (@hfactor.co), a team of four creatives that collaborates with people everywhere to uncover creative possibilities from under-utilized physical and conceptual spaces curated “Wasteland” for the Lagos Biennial in 2019. The installation takes up a whole room that also doubled as space for select events during the Biennial. “Wasteland” envisages a wild dystopia where the effects of man’s disregard for the environment is made tangible.

hFactor collective (@hfactor.co), a team of four creatives that collaborates with people everywhere to uncover creative possibilities from under-utilized physical and conceptual spaces curated “Wasteland” for the Lagos Biennial in 2019. The installation takes up a whole room that also doubled as space for select events during the Biennial. “Wasteland” envisages a wild dystopia where the effects of man’s disregard for the environment is made tangible.

hFactor collective (@hfactor.co), a team of four creatives that collaborates with people everywhere to uncover creative possibilities from under-utilized physical and conceptual spaces curated “Wasteland” for the Lagos Biennial in 2019. The installation takes up a whole room that also doubled as space for select events during the Biennial. “Wasteland” envisages a wild dystopia where the effects of man’s disregard for the environment is made tangible.

“Rolling Footage” is an experimental short video created by Karl Ohiri (@karlohiri), a British-Nigerian artist living and working in London that aims to shed light on what daily commuting is like for many of the physically impaired people of Lagos. Primarily shot in different parts of Lagos Island, the film focuses on a subject that suffers from lower limb loss and whose primary method of transport is a self-built skateboard, displayed as part of the exhibition. Captured exclusively on a GoPro camera worn by the subject, the video provides a visual perspective of Lagos that is rarely seen, one that brings the viewer literally closer to the subjects’ world and gives insight into the daily struggles and triumphs of the many people that inhabit Lagos with such disabilities. “Rolling Footage” aims to shed light on an under-represented aspect of everyday life in Lagos, prompting a dialogue that questions city planning, social welfare and individual empowerment. . .

“Rolling Footage” is an experimental short video created by Karl Ohiri (@karlohiri), a British-Nigerian artist living and working in London that aims to shed light on what daily commuting is like for many of the physically impaired people of Lagos. Primarily shot in different parts of Lagos Island, the film focuses on a subject that suffers from lower limb loss and whose primary method of transport is a self-built skateboard, displayed as part of the exhibition. Captured exclusively on a GoPro camera worn by the subject, the video provides a visual perspective of Lagos that is rarely seen, one that brings the viewer literally closer to the subjects’ world and gives insight into the daily struggles and triumphs of the many people that inhabit Lagos with such disabilities. “Rolling Footage” aims to shed light on an under-represented aspect of everyday life in Lagos, prompting a dialogue that questions city planning, social welfare and individual empowerment. . .

“Rolling Footage” is an experimental short video created by Karl Ohiri (@karlohiri), a British-Nigerian artist living and working in London that aims to shed light on what daily commuting is like for many of the physically impaired people of Lagos. Primarily shot in different parts of Lagos Island, the film focuses on a subject that suffers from lower limb loss and whose primary method of transport is a self-built skateboard, displayed as part of the exhibition. Captured exclusively on a GoPro camera worn by the subject, the video provides a visual perspective of Lagos that is rarely seen, one that brings the viewer literally closer to the subjects’ world and gives insight into the daily struggles and triumphs of the many people that inhabit Lagos with such disabilities. “Rolling Footage” aims to shed light on an under-represented aspect of everyday life in Lagos, prompting a dialogue that questions city planning, social welfare and individual empowerment. . .

Jonathan Wood (@jonowoodinjozi) is a South African photographer working and living in Johannesburg. “Dark City” is a collaborative project between Wood, Dirk Chalmers (@dirkchalmers), a filmmaker who passed away in 2019, and Harold Wilson (Hariwe), an architect and visual artist who initially began the work as a thesis for his Master’s degree. The project took an academic and artistic approach to looking at the issue of dark buildings (these are abandoned buildings where the poorest and most vulnerable squat without water, electricity or trash removal) in Johannesburg. Conditions are dire and massive risks lay inside and outside for residents as well as children who live within the skeletal shells these buildings have become. The occupants are usually illegals from other Southern African countries such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Lesotho, with the rest coming from all corners of South Africa for various reasons. This interaction sparked a new interest in immigrants and where they come from in order to further understand the age old migration of immigrants to Johannesburg for work and money. . .

Jonathan Wood (@jonowoodinjozi) is a South African photographer working and living in Johannesburg. “Dark City” is a collaborative project between Wood, Dirk Chalmers (@dirkchalmers), a filmmaker who passed away in 2019, and Harold Wilson (Hariwe), an architect and visual artist who initially began the work as a thesis for his Master’s degree. The project took an academic and artistic approach to looking at the issue of dark buildings (these are abandoned buildings where the poorest and most vulnerable squat without water, electricity or trash removal) in Johannesburg. Conditions are dire and massive risks lay inside and outside for residents as well as children who live within the skeletal shells these buildings have become. The occupants are usually illegals from other Southern African countries such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Lesotho, with the rest coming from all corners of South Africa for various reasons. This interaction sparked a new interest in immigrants and where they come from in order to further understand the age old migration of immigrants to Johannesburg for work and money. . .

Jonathan Wood (@jonowoodinjozi) is a South African photographer working and living in Johannesburg. “Dark City” is a collaborative project between Wood, Dirk Chalmers (@dirkchalmers), a filmmaker who passed away in 2019, and Harold Wilson (Hariwe), an architect and visual artist who initially began the work as a thesis for his Master’s degree. The project took an academic and artistic approach to looking at the issue of dark buildings (these are abandoned buildings where the poorest and most vulnerable squat without water, electricity or trash removal) in Johannesburg. Conditions are dire and massive risks lay inside and outside for residents as well as children who live within the skeletal shells these buildings have become. The occupants are usually illegals from other Southern African countries such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Lesotho, with the rest coming from all corners of South Africa for various reasons. This interaction sparked a new interest in immigrants and where they come from in order to further understand the age old migration of immigrants to Johannesburg for work and money. . .