By Damiete Braide
Iconic photographer, actor and artist, Bolaji Alonge, in collaboration with multi-disciplinary artist, Sola Otori, will on Saturday, September 18, 2021, hold a joint exhibition with the theme, “Greener Pastures” at Didi Museum in Lagos.
The, exhibition will be heralded on Saturday, September 25, with a workshop, while the exhibition ends with a conference on Sunday, September 26.
Works to be exhibited include photography, video documentary and paintings, which highlight the challenges faced by people living in villages along the Lagos lagoon in Epe.
At the end of the exhibition, proceeds from the sale of artworks will be donated to buy books for local schools and other initiatives that addresses the urgent needs of these communities.
The artistes are inspired by Claude Monet and his water lilies, Venice and its water ambulances, and parallels between the water shrines and the Itsukushima Shrine in Japan.
Alonge has captured succinctly with his works the theme of the exhibition which explores the challenges affecting remote areas of the state and its dwellers.
Alonge said, “Deep inside Epe, along the Lagos lagoon, more than 145 villages are tucked away far from the bustling city life. They have been left behind and are now held hostage by the consequences of a race to modernity. Women are giving birth depending on nature only and their children are growing up, waiting for power and education, hoping for the future. Basic sanitation is absent since the source of drinking water, the lagoon, also serves as the main conduit for waste disposal.
“Although they are very close to the where Nigeria’s economy is thriving, they lack access to health, water and education. Water hyacinth has taken over the lagoon and this has limited mobility and trade in the area.”
Speaking on the documentary, Alonge, who is the director, “Eyes of a Lagos Boy”, said, “This project started in January 2018 and is the result of a collective desire to contribute to a better future for these communities. The documentary aims to further amplify the challenges of affected areas with a view to change the narrative.“
“The challenges faced by locals are universal while being compounded by external factors,” he explained. The documentary captures never-seen images of these settlements and gives a platform to its inhabitants. The beauty of the artworks is in sharp contrast with the stark reality of these villagers, invisible as a result of predatory seaweed and lack of political will. It is a call for help, an alarm signal that cannot be ignored.”
Alonge, a graduate of Mass Communication from the University of Lagos, Nigeria with more than two decades of experience in documenting history, is looking for beauty where it is least expected. He portrays Lagos from different angles, a city that inspires and captivates imagination.
Alonge makes the viewer reconsider what we have seen with our own eyes, through the “Eyes of a Lagos Boy”.
Similarly, Otori works in photography, painting and film showcase both the beauty of his land and culture, as well as the need for social change.
Driven by a strong sense of the importance of equal opportunities for every child, he initiated the “Silent Majority” project, a creative art/ photography workshop for street orphans, the socially deprived or displaced and teenagers in juvenile detention or correctional facilities.
Otori received his training first as an apprentice at the ‘Abayomi Barber School of Thought’, University of Lagos and Art and Design at Yaba College of Technology.
He established his multimedia studio, working on photography assignments and commissioned art projects, with exhibitions in Lagos, Kampala and Johannesburg. In 2014, he studied digital film making at the SAE Institute, Cape Town, South Africa.