A collection of photographs 12 years in the making, Nigerian photographer Andrew Esiebo will open his exhibition exploring the unique spaces in which Africans play the sport of football on Sunday, May 13, in Lagos.
Titled “Goal Diggers”, the solo exhibition, which draws from the passion Africans have for the game of football as a metaphor to address deeper emotional issues of love and resilience, as well as environmental issues of urban planning, will take place at Rele Gallery.
A statement from the gallery said that the exhibition was “conceived as an exploratory project while Esiebo undertook other assignments around Africa.”
“The body of work introduces a series of images Esiebo took over the course of 12 years in Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and South Africa. He witnessed the intense nature of the game being played under bridges, along narrow corridors in low income neighborhoods, inside water bodies, and even on dangerous construction sites. Large-scale photographs printed on Hahnemulle Museum Etching paper emphasizes Eseibo’s observation of football as a democratic game, cutting across class and gender,” wrote Rele Gallery’s Byenyan Jessica Bitrus.
[caption id="attachment_121307" align="aligncenter" width="500"] James Town 2009[/caption]
Some of the photographs feature kids playing football besides a building in James Town, Accra, Ghana, under a bridge in Marina, and in an open dusty patch beside the cenotaph in Oworonshoki, Lagos.
Born in Lagos, Eseibo’s work has been exhibited at the Sao Paulo biennial in Brazil, Biennale Cuvee in Linz-Austria, Photo Quai biennials in Paris-France, Dakart Biennale-Senegal, Guangzhou Triennial in Beijing-China among many others.
He has also collaborated with such respectable institutions as UNICEF, WHO, The King’s College London, and has been featured in several publications.
This is his first solo exhibition in Lagos. As the world anticipates the start of the World Cup in June 2018, Esiebo’s exhibition offers a starting point for the conversations and excitement ahead.
Goal Diggers will open Sunday May 13th, 2018 – 4pm, at Rele Gallery (5 Military Street, Onikan Lagos) and will run till June 17th, 2018.
Born in Lagos, Esiebo is a visual storyteller who started out by chronicling the rapid development of urban Nigeria as well as the country’s rich culture and heritage. As his work developed, he began to explore new creative territories, integrating multimedia practices with the investigation of themes such as sexuality, gender politics, football, popular culture, migration, religion and spirituality.
Eseibo’s work has been exhibited at the Sao Paulo biennial in Brazil, Biennale Cuvee in Linz-Austria, Photo Quai biennials in Paris-France, Dakart Biennale-Senegal, Guangzhou Triennial in Beijing-China among many others. He has also collaborated with such respectable institutions as UNICEF, WHO, The King’s College London, and has been featured in several publications. This is his first solo exhibition in Lagos.
]]>
