ANDREW ESIEBO (B. 1978)

Living and working in Lagos, Andrew Esiebo is a photographer whose work straddles the divide between art and journalism. His reportage weaves an underrepresented narrative, which circumvents stereotypes around poverty or disease and instead chronicles the rapidly developing urban life in Nigeria, its growing middle class and rich cultural heritage. In Esiebo’s work, West Africa is depicted as being dynamic and vital.
Esiebo met with esteemed photographer George Osodi in 2006, which informed his journalistic style. Pride is a series started in 2012 in which Esiebo documents barber culture across West Africa, examining the role of the barber and the barbershop and the tension between individual and collective identities. Esiebo highlights the coexistence of tradition and modernity, the ancient ritual aspects of grooming versus the aspirational and modern codes of self-presentation.
Bamako, No. 02 offers a snapshot of the various tools of the barber’s trade. Our eyes are drawn to the bright colours and the playful design of the comb. The way in which the instruments are laid out creates a vivid still life, capturing the vibrant vernacular culture Esiebo explores in his photographs.
In Accra, No. 12 the two men having their hair cut appear to be facing off with one another in debate: all the men in the shop are engaged in what is being said, while the portrait of the woman on the wall gazes away from the action with a serene and knowing smile.
Andrew Esiebo was awarded the 2011 Musée du Quai Branly Prize. His work has been featured in the Rencontres d’Arles in 2016, the Dakar Biennale in 2014, the Havana Biennial in 2012, and the Bienal de São Paulo in 2010.