Impact of Lagos Photo in Mainstreaming Photography as Visual Art in Nigeria

Abstract

More than ever before, the medium of Photography has gained wider acceptance in Nigeria as a mainstream art form in exhibitions and in art festivals. Previously regarded as mere result of a mechanical process, products of Photography are now viewed as part of a wider image-making culture in the visual arts of the 21st Century which the artist uses as a tool, like other art forms to frame statements on relevant issues. Using Lagos Photo, a platform established by a Nigerian artist and entrepreneur in 2010, this paper examines the trends and developments that led to the status of photography as contemporary art medium in Nigeria. In its 8th year, the festival has contributed immensely in constructing a new identity for Photography as an authentic art medium in Nigeria. This paper situates the achievements of Lagos Photo within the wider matrix of what Silva (2018) calls “other successful precedents and lineages” in the history of the development of photography in Nigeria.

Keywords: Lagos Photo, African Identity, Photography, Festivals, Exhibitions, Workshops

DOI: 10.7176/ADS/104-02

Publication date:March 31^st 2023