LagosPhoto Foundation presents the seventh edition of the annual LagosPhoto Festival in Lagos, Nigeria, from October 22 – November21, titled Rituals  and Performance .

Currently in its seventh edition, Lagos Photo is the first and only international arts festival of photography in Nigeria. In a month long programme, events include exhibitions, workshops, artist presentations, discussions, screening, and large scale outdoor installations in congested public spaces in Lagos. LagosPhoto aims to provide a platform for the development and education of contemporary photography in Africa by establishing mentorships and cross-cultural collaborations with local and international artists. LagosPhoto presents photography as it is embodied in the exploration of historical and contemporary issues, the promotion of social programmes, and the reclaiming of public spaces. LagosPhoto 2016 will feature thirty photographers spanning seventeen countries.

Rituals and Performance: explores the role of acts of repetition that shape gender, image, identity, social agency, power and social constructs in contemporary society. The repetitive acts imbued with belief become coercive and normative. It shapes our general idea of what is true in determining an African image, gender, religion, beauty, social class and so forth. Michel Foucault’s (1980) conception on the transmissions and representations of power not just in its ability to contain and control but in its ability to enable individuals to function within cultural roles and allows for alternative self-definitions and self-presentations. Contemporary visual representations directly affect the cultural meanings associated with image construction and interpretation.

LagosPhoto opens to the public on October 22nd , 2016 at Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. Satellite exhibition venues in arts and cultural spaces throughout the city extend to Omenka Gallery, Africans Artists’ Foundation, Center for Contemporary Art Lagos, Goethe-Institut, A White Space, Red Door Gallery. Outdoor exhibitions in public spaces in Lagos include Muri Okunola Park, Falomo Roundabout (Ikoyi), Beko Ransome Kuti Park (Antony), Awojobi Park (Onike), Freedom Park, MKO Abiola Park (Ikeja), and Dolphin Park (Ikoyi).

LagosPhoto is proudly sponsored by the Eko Hotel & Suites and Etisalat, with Support by Canon, LASPARK, Lagos State Ministry of Tourism and Culture, KLM/ Air France, Romarong, Pixers, Pernod Ricard Nigeria, Goethe Institut. LagosPhoto is additionally supported by the Ford Foundation.

Participating Artists: Fati Abubakar (Nigeria) | Jenevieve Aken (Nigeria) | Ishola Akpo (Nigeria) | Mohamed Arejdal (Morocco) | Karimah Ashadu (Britain & Nigeria) | Jelili Atiku (Nigeria) | Miia Autio (Finland) |Pep Bonet (Spain) | Juno Calypso (United Kingdom) | Bubi Canal (Spain) | Kudzanai Chiurai (Zimbabwe) | Colin Delfosse (Belgium) | Thierry Fontaine (France) | Sevelyn Gat (Kenya) | Eric Gyamfi (Ghana) | Adad Hannah (USA) | Kiluanji Kia Henda (Angola) | Andrea Gisele Keyezua (Netherlands) | Nico Krijno (South African) | Osborne Macharia (Kenya)| Mario Macilau (Mozambique) | Tsoku Maela (South Africa) | Ibrahim Mahama (Ghana) | Gideon Mendel (South Africa) | Siwa Mgoboza (South Africa) | Mohau Modisakeng (South Africa) | Fabrice Monteiro (Benin & Belgium) | Bruno Morais (Brazil) | Muchiri Njenga (Kenya) | Lakin Ogunbanwo (Nigeria) | Rodney Omeokachie (Nigeria) | Qudus Onikeku (Nigeria) | Leonard Pongo (Belgium) | Flurina Rothenberger (Switzerland) | Emmanuel Trousse (Monaco) | David Uzochukwu (Belgium & Nigeria) | BenedicteVanderreydt (Belgium) | Lorenzo Vitturi (Italy) | Sanne De Wilde (Belgium) | Patrick Willocq (France) | Reze Bonna (Nigeria) | TY Bello (Nigeria).

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Venues: EKO Hotels and Suites Centre for Contemporary Arts, African Artists’ Foundation, A White Space, Red Door Gallery, Omenka Gallery, Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, Legacy 1995 (Railway Compound), Freedom Park, Goethe Institute, Temple Muse, Muri Okunola Park, Falomo Cirlce

Through our numerous collaborations, LagosPhoto continues to provide a platform for the improvement and progression of professional and emerging photographic talent in a comprehensive public programming initiative that includes workshops, artist presentations, and portfolio reviews facilitated by prominent local and international photographers.

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Special projects & Satellite Exhibitions this year include: World Debut of Four Recent Series LagosPhoto is celebrated for showcasing never before seen series at the festival, this year we’ll debut Kudzanai Chiurai’s ‘Genesis’, Lorenzo Vitturi’s ‘The Balogun Particle’ Lagos and Jenevieve Aken’s complete ‘Great Expectations’ series.

Etisalat Photography Competition
The Etisalat Photography Competition aims to develop and nurture photographic talent in Nigeria by providing a platform for emerging Nigerian photographers to have their Daily work exhibited to a wide audience and win monetary prizes. This year, the theme and Celebratory Performance delves into ritualistic actions related to the daily lives and celebrations of a Nigerian and the expansiveness of the country and it’s peoples. The grand finale of the competition is scheduled for October 2016 where the first prize winner of the competition will receive a Canon Camera; the second prize winner will get an iPad mini while the third prize winner will receive a high end Nokia Lumia device.

LagosPhoto Summer School
LagosPhoto Summer School offers a range of workshops in Lagos, focusing on different niches of photography to be held for emerging photographers during LagosPhoto. LagosPhoto Summer School, in partnership with Canon Central and North Africa offer The Canon Selphy Street Photography Workshop, a basic Street Photography workshop and The Canon Story Telling Workshop with Canon Master Gary Knight, an advanced empirical workshop that explores photography as a universal storytelling language. Participants will be provided and guided with the right sort of equipment’s to use and shown how various techniques will make a difference in their visual story telling skills. Both workshops are a combination of theoretical and practical learning with shooting experiences that will take place in Lagos.

Centres of Learning For Photography In Africa Network – Seminars
The aim of Centers of Learning for Photography in Africa (CLPA) is to contribute to the professionalization of photography on the African continent by forming a strong educational resource network. Among the participants at the 2016 CLPA network conference, which runs alongside the inaugural week of LagosPhoto Festival, are independent curator and visual artist Akinbode Akinbiyi and Uche Okpa-Iroah (The Nlele Institute).

POPCAP ‘16
POPCAP ’16 presents the series of the five artist awarded with POPCAP ’16 including approx.100 works as an augmented reality exhibition at freedom park.

The winning artists are: Nicolas Henry (France), Jason Larkin (England), Sabelo Mlangeni (South Africa), Thom Pierce (UK), Julia Runge (Germany)

As a celebration of the fifth anniversary exhibition of POPCAP, the prize for contemporary African photography, a large-format, open air projection of all 25 outstanding works exhibited by POPCAP since 2012 will take place at freedom park. The prize is aimed at photographers whose work is either produced in an African country or deals with a diaspora of an African country. The presentation will take place in a public space, allowing us to reach not only the art-conscious, but rather confront the general public with the image of Africa.

The 50 minutes retrospective includes artworks from the following POPCAP winners:
Filipe Branquinho , Mozambique | Zed Nelson , United Kingdom | Tahir Carl Karmali, Kenya | Zied Ben Romdhane, Tunisia | Romaric Tisserand, France| Joana Choumali, Ivory Coast | Ilan Godfrey, South Africa | Léonard Pongo, Belgium | Anoek Steketee , The Netherlands | Eefje Blankevoort, Canada| Patrick Willocq, France | David Rengel, Spain | Álvaro Laiz, Spain | Dillon Marsh , South Africa | Cristina de Middel, Spain | Alexia Webster , South Africa| Graeme Williams , South Africa |Gu illaume Bonn, France| Nabil Boutros , France | Namsa Leuba, Switzerland | Adolphus Opara, Nigeria | Paolo Patrizi, Italy

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Hennessy Artistry Presents Jonathan Mannion
As part of celebrations of Hennessy’s love for music through their Hennessy Artistry initiative the lifestyle brand will celebrate famed American Hip Hop photographer Jonathan Mannion this month. These days Jonathan Mannion is known as one of the pioneering photographers in Hip Hop culture and he has built a catalogue lasting two decades, the hip hop legend in collaboration with Hennessy Artistry will be in Lagos to showcase some of his iconic work as well as socialize with top home grown photographers of our own. This first of it’s kind is another initiative of Hennessy Artistry as the lifestyle brand seeks to continually express its appreciation of music creatively. In this case, the brand will bring together Hip Hop and Visual Art. A collaboration between Hennessy and LagosPhoto Festival will bring this Hennessy Artistry initiative to life. Jonathan Mannion will participate in several engagements during the LagosPhoto Festival season. He is also set to hold workshops and open talks around his art and experiences.

Performance Piece: Jelili Atiku– I trust you know Ó ju Ilé (Alaraagbo XI)
The performance, I Trust You Know Oju-Ile (Alaraagbo XI), which will appropriate processional ritual and body ontology; will take place in public space such as beach side and streets in Victoria Island in Lagos. It will involve a spectacle of an imposing of seemingly alien-human-image, which will have a costume made of drift twigs as headgear and a long flowing crystal plastic sheeting as garment. The figure will walk majestically carrying a calabash filled with earth and a small plant. The figure will make series of actions ritualistic actions. The performance will last for about three hours and it will be documented in photograph (still and motion).

Nii Obodai: Who Knows Tomorrow (2009)
Who Knows Tomorrow is a work I made collaborating with my friend French Algerian photographer, Bruno Boudjelal. Over a period of two years we travelled through Ghana discussing and philosophising what independence meant to us and the legacy of Kwame Nkrumah’s vision. The photographs were made during a series of road trips. They become a poetic response to the dialogue and experience we had. Who knows tomorrow is made up of four visual poems: 1966 Portraits As We Are Galamse The Passing The Igbo communion By Alfie Nze “…take and eat this kolanut as a sign of our communion and brotherhood… Who brings the kolanut offers life…” These words used in the offering and sharing of kolanut in the Igbo culture, exemplifies the deeper meaning of this ancient pre-Christian practice and its transliteration into the christian and other cultures, ceremonies and practices of the world. The performance uses the presence of archetypes, (statues and masks) and actors to bring to the viewer a work that goes beyond the everyday aspect of popular culture. The work is an invitation to take a deeper look and find more meaning in one’s environment.

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Key Dates:

Saturday, October 22: LagosPhoto Grand Opening: Jelili Atiku Performance Piece

Friday, October 28th: Annual LagosPhoto Gala, African Artists’ Foundation Headquarters

October 24th – October 31st: Professional Week; A comprehensive program of receptions, discussions, presentations, and workshops (various locations)

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www.lagosphotofestival.com