On a sidenote - my dreams of S. Africa has been postponed till next year. That's a (relatively) long time to wait for something that I want now.
Anyway.
Garuba Yawu with Mora, Ogere-Remo, Nigeria 2007
Mallam Galadima Ahmadu with Jamis, Abuja, Nigeria 2007
Abdullahi Mohammed with Mainasara, Ogere-Remo, Nigeria 2007
A brief search on Hugo's page made me realise that I may soon be obsessed with him and his work. First of all - there is no biography on his page. A photographer who doesn't want to reveal anything about himself? I think I'm in love.
There's a lot to be said about his work and the idea of representation. In his other work, portraits of people who have died of AIDS, portraits of people with albinism -- there seems to be such a raw, honest attempt to document, and in that process of documentation, to understand. The simplicity of his work leaves it uncoloured by all contemporary musings of the politics of representation, and thus somehow, above it all.
I'm not sure if I make sense.
And the way he writes about his work - just yesterday I had been banging the table trying to tell a young photographer here, stop creating work to please others, start doing things for yourself. An important part of that process, I feel, is in the writing. I enjoy self-awareness in writing, and that fine balance between confidence and humility.
Like I said, I think I'm in love.
There's a lot to be said about his work and the idea of representation. In his other work, portraits of people who have died of AIDS, portraits of people with albinism -- there seems to be such a raw, honest attempt to document, and in that process of documentation, to understand. The simplicity of his work leaves it uncoloured by all contemporary musings of the politics of representation, and thus somehow, above it all.
I'm not sure if I make sense.
And the way he writes about his work - just yesterday I had been banging the table trying to tell a young photographer here, stop creating work to please others, start doing things for yourself. An important part of that process, I feel, is in the writing. I enjoy self-awareness in writing, and that fine balance between confidence and humility.
The spectacle caused by this group walking down busy market streets was overwhelming. I tried photographing this but failed, perhaps because I wasn't interested in their performances. I realised that what I found fascinating was the hybridisation of the urban and the wild, and the paradoxical relationship that the handlers have with their animals - sometimes doting and affectionate, sometimes brutal and cruel.
I agreed to travel with the animal wranglers to Kanu in the northern part of the country. One of them set out to negotiate a fare with a taxi driver; everyone else, including myself and the hyenas, monkeys and rock pythons, hid in the bushes. When their companion signalled that he had agreed on a fare, the motley troupe of humans and animals leapt out from behind the bushes and jumped into the vehicle. The taxi driver was completely horrified. I sat upfront with a monkey and the driver. He drove like an absolute maniac. At one stage the monkey was terrified by his driving. It grabbed hold of my leg and stared into my eyes. I could see its fear.
Europeans invariably only ask about the welfare of the animals but this question misses the point. Instead, perhaps, we could ask why these performers need to catch wild animals to make a living. Or why they are economically marginalised. Or why Nigeria, the world's sixth largest exporter of oil, is in such a state of disarray.
Like I said, I think I'm in love.
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