Best known for his images of extravagant, almost sculptural, women\u2019s hairstyles, the work of the late Nigerian photographer J.D. \u2018Okhai Ojeikere has been exhibited around the world.<\/p>\n
But in a 2014 documentary on his life, he said his art was not celebrated in his home country. That might be changing.<\/p>\n
Recently, 150 photographs from his archives, most of which hadn\u2019t been publicly exhibited before, were the focus of a special exhibition at one of Africa\u2019s premier art fairs, ART X Lagos, in Nigeria.<\/p>\n
Titled \u201cAn Exacting Eye,\u201d the exhibition, as well as a masterclass taught by his son Amaize Ojeikere, sought to honor the life and work of one of the country\u2019s most prolific documentary photographers.<\/p>\n
These photos are part of an expansive archive, according to photographer and archivist Amaize, who said his father had \u201cthousands and thousands of negatives.\u201d<\/p>\n
The exhibition\u2019s curator, Missla Libsekal, said investigating the largely analog archive required \u201ctime and commitment,\u201d reviewing almost 8,000 images \u2014 a fraction of the trove \u2014 in a process that took several months.<\/p>\n
Describing Ojeikere\u2019s approach to photography as poetry, she said, \u201cthe way he saw the world and how he transformed that perception into an image is quite remarkable. He understood visual space, whether it was an outdoor or indoor setting, and how forms hold space.”<\/p>\n
\u201cHe translated this into images that enhanced and depicted a particular idea of beauty \u2026 It is a talent to make images that keep you engaged and marveling, and that was what he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reawakening cultural memory<\/p>\n
With ART X Lagos celebrating its tenth year, founder Tokini Peterside-Schwebig said highlighting Ojeikere\u2019s work was about tribute and reconnection.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is about ensuring our young people know the artists and teachers who shaped our visual language. The masterclass ensures that younger artists not only engage with his techniques and visual language but also understand the cultural lineage they inherit,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope it reawakens cultural memory \u2014 that it sparks pride, reflection, and recognition,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
ART X Lagos has become a key event in Nigeria\u2019s art calendar, attracting thousands of artists, galleries, art enthusiasts, and collectors from across the world.<\/p>\n
Peterside-Schwebig says this year brought scale, with a \u201cricher and more layered experience that holds both legacy and experimentation,\u201d as well as depth, with offerings like the masterclass and more as part of their strategy to invest more deeply in younger generations.<\/p>\n
Ojeikere, who died in 2014, documented Nigerian architecture, people, and culture for over 60 years, with his most recognised work being the acclaimed \u201cHairstyles\u201d series. Libsekal said the photographer was saddened that his work was well received internationally but not valued in Nigeria, adding that the exhibition was \u201cbringing his work home and taking one of many steps to remediate that.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the exhibition were photos from his early career, festival photography, and a range of portraits, as well as new images from the \u201cHairstyle\u201d series, and photos of Lagos\u2019 architecture, coastline, and port, from the 1950s to the 1970s, capturing life pre- and post-Nigeria\u2019s independence from colonial rule.<\/p>\n
Amaize said he hoped to impart lessons to the 10 masterclass students about archiving as a practice, but also about his father\u2019s tenacity, originality, and work ethic.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very important that different generations can preserve what existed in their time for others to see, because there\u2019s so much to learn from the past \u2026 so that the present and the future can be better,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s so much to learn from the impact of his work, the style,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe lived ahead of his time.\u201d<\/p>\n
With hundreds of thousands of photographs and negatives still in the archive, Amaize said there are plans to build institutions that will allow the work to be viewed by a wider audience for years to come.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot all of the works might ever be released, but the most important thing is that we are creating a situation where people can truly research into the style of the works of J.D. Ojeikere.\u201d<\/p>\n
A selection of Ojeikere\u2019s work from the ART X Icon exhibition will be displayed at the Federal Palace Hotel lobby until the end of December.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Best known for his images of extravagant, almost sculptural, women\u2019s hairstyles, the work of the late Nigerian photographer…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":247759,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[442,498,499,500,501,156,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-247758","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-design","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-new-zealand","15":"tag-newzealand","16":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247758"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247758\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}