Solo Exhibition by Lakin Ogunbanwo
by NEWS
From October 14 to November 3, Niki Cryan Gallery will present a solo exhibition of 2 photographic series; ‘E Wá Wo Mi‘ and ‘Are We Good Enough’ by leading Nigerian artist Lakin Ogunbanwo. In ‘E Wá Wo Mi’, he explores the culture surrounding Nigerian brides and marriage ceremonies. Ogunbanwo uses veiled portraiture to document the complexity of his culture, and counteract the West’s monolithic narratives of Africa and women.
Ogunbanwo’s interest in expanding the contemporary African visual archive began in 2012 with his acclaimed on-going project, ‘Are We Good Enough’. Here, he documents hats worn as cultural signifiers by various ethnic groups in Nigeria. In ‘E Wá Wo Mi’, Ogunbanwo furthers this investigation by representing the traditional ceremonial wear of the Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa-Fulani tribes, amongst others. Rather than objectively archive these as past-traditions, he mimics the pageantry of weddings in present-day Nigeria, creating elaborate sets of draped fabric as a backdrop for the brides to perform.
The exhibition marks his first solo exhibition in Lagos in almost 7 years and the first time these 2 bodies of work will be presented together. Ogunbanwo’s work has been featured in the Times New York, Vogue Italia, The New Yorker Magazine, ID online, Harpers Bazaar, British GQ and Riposte Magazine. Recent exhibitions include Lagos Photo Festival; 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, London and Grid Photo Biennial andWhatiftheworld Cape Town, South Africa.
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