Dreams from my Roots: Ayodele Ojo returns
AS the days pass, with increasing influx of Western culture, the pace at which Nigeria’s cultural heritage makes way for the foreign influence become very worrisome to those mindful of the danger it portends for the future.
For documentary photo artist Ayodele Ojo, there is no need to give up hope in demonstrating that the country still has towns whose past heritage are secured for future generations.
Come Sunday March 13, this is what his two week photo exhibition which opens at Neo Café, 6 Agoro Odiyan Street, off Adeolu Adeku Victoria Island Lagos will buttress.
The show tagged “Dreams from my Roots are a collection of varied architectural photographs across time and cultures, taken across the South Western Region of Nigeria,’’ said Ojo
According to him, each of the works has been a journey of rediscovery while engaging with the viewers through tortures road less travelled. With many years of documented works and discovering new vista, having grown up in a rural and rustic settings of Ekiti mountainous region, Ojo said the images that will be on parade speaks for themselves.
“Dreams from my Roots are a transitory journey that tries to see through the history of occupied spaces, a culture of a people that welcomes emerging trend with little or no attention to her past.
The project questions the role of architecture in family values; not to be pushed aside are issues of integrity, in terms of workmanship, safety and corruption in the building up of spaces in creating bigger cities, urban and rural migration problem.’’
Beyond capturing images that highlight the importance of culture the photographer demonstrated that all hope is not lost too. Ojo, who is also a one-time photo journalist with Punch Newspapers Lagos said culture is people’s way of life.
Telling the source of his inspiration, he said this exhibition is a platform to depict that “The quality of workmanship today has dropped to its lowest ebb, while we commoditize architecture. Man has lost the essence of built up spaces, living in beautiful self-imposed prisons has taken over, the agony of lost voices .’’
He said his works ask more questions than answers. Through his photographs, the photo artist have tried to create a link between the past and the future, leaving a legacy for generations yet unborn.
Born August 26, 1964 in Iyin-Ekiti State, Ojo attended University of Benin, where he graduated 1989 with B.A. in Fine Arts (Sculpture), obtained his Masters in Fine Arts from the same institution in 1995.
He was the winner: Golden Pen Award 2005 (Friesland Foods) He had a brief stint in the advertising industry between 1999-2000 before joining Punch Newspapers in Lagos from 2000-2005, as a Senior Photographer and left for the Independent Newspapers as the Photo-Editor between 2005-2006.
He has free-lanced with the Associated Press, a wire agency. His photography style varies between Photo-Journalism , Artistic and Documentary, he also paints Watercolour at his spare time. His works are displayed at Pees Galeria, Baffles Art Gallery and Signature Art Gallery-Lagos.
He was the winner, “Peak Golden Pen Award,2005, Friesland Foods).
His love for architecture and photography led him put together these fine selections of architectural images that are set to debut at his forthcoming exhibition slated for the proposed month of July.
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