Photographer Captures the Hidden Beauty of Nigerian Brides

By
Rose B
-

Photographer Lakin Ogunbanwo treats photography as his calling. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Ogunbanwo studied Law before he made the switch to photography in 2012.

“I honestly didn’t choose photography, photography chose me,” he said in an interview with Vogue. “I’ve always liked images (even growing up and for as long as I’ve remembered I’ve always had a camera) and the first time it occurred to me that I could use a camera to produce a distinct feeling was when I made portraits of my sisters.” Now, his striking portraits are featured in glamorous publications like the New York Times, i-D, GQ and Riposte.

In his most recent series, “e wá wo mi” (come look at me), Ogunbanwo photographs Nigerian brides from Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa-Fulani tribes. Mostly hidden under elaborate headpieces and beaded veils, the brides look mysterious as they are majestic, making for a striking effect.

“This series is my first time using women as subjects,” admitted the photographer. “I am very aware of this as a man, and prefer to engage with this work fully as an outsider. It is important to note that this is an expansion on existing forms of womanhood and femininity, and not a way of defining. I can be inspired by women, and femininity, but I am not seeking to say who has access to this, or what this is.”

Take a look.

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WHATIFTHEWORLD is pleased to present e wá wo mi (*come look at me) – a new photographic series by Nigerian artist Lakin Ogunbanwo. Central to Ogunbanwo’s latest exploration, is the culture surrounding Nigerian brides and marriage ceremonies. He uses veiled portraiture to document the complexity of his culture, and counteract the West’s monolithic narratives of Africa and women. Ogunbanwo’s interest in expanding the contemporary African visual archive began in 2012 with his acclaimed ongoing project, ‘Are We Good Enough’. In this series, he documents hats worn as cultural signifiers by various ethnic groups in Nigeria. In e wá wo mi Ogunbanwo furthers this investigation by representing the traditional ceremonial wear of the Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa-Fulani tribes, amongst others. Rather than objectively archive these as past-traditions, however, he mimics the pageantry of weddings in present Nigeria. He creates elaborate sets of draped fabric as a backdrop for these brides to perform. The performances these brides carry out are ones of love, familial and cultural pride, feminine strength, and a heterogenous African identity, but they are also the burdens of being wives, mothers and daughters-in-law. The expectation of femininity, and the role of women, are canonised on the wedding day. “From how she dresses, to how she carries herself, to what she is told. She will be fertile, she should be submissive and supportive: These are the things she hears on that day.” Ogunbanwo reflects, “I’ve found weddings to be very performative, and most of the performance generally rests on the bride.” On this day, the bride is admired and observed for her proximity to a constructed womanhood: she is feminine, demure, grateful, emotional, and graceful. Ogunbanwo comments on this by obfuscating the individuality of these women, masking their faces with veils— a style signature to his photography.

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