The Obiagos: Unfurling mother-daughter’s sojourn in the world of photography

For two months, 42 photographs and poems that captured in details, the artistic journey of two Obiagos-a mother and her daughter will remain at the exhibition floor of Wheatbaker hotel, Ikoyi Lagos. Unfurling it is called.In what many have described as a daring attempt to project to the world, a generational feat in art, 50-year-old, […]

For two months, 42 photographs and poems that captured in details, the artistic journey of two Obiagos-a mother and her daughter will remain at the exhibition floor of Wheatbaker hotel, Ikoyi Lagos. Unfurling it is called.
In what many have described as a daring attempt to project to the world, a generational feat in art, 50-year-old, Sandra Mbanefo Obiago, an award winning filmmaker who is known for her years of creating films, radio programs and media campaigns on development issues is now on stage in her first solo exhibition of photographs. Sandra won’t be alone. Her 18-year old daughter, Amara Obiago who seems to be following in her mum’s footsteps, will also be standing shoulder high.
The duo said they have put together an exhibition that is made up of a diverse body of images presented on large canvases and aluminum dibond plates, depicting expressions, patterns and textures in landscape, nature, cloth, as well as light filled architectural spaces.
In this photographic debut, both artists feature poetry alongside their works which touch on self-discovery, inquiry and adventure. They illustrate global themes of humanity’s search for meaning through space, light, natural and man-made patterns, illustrating various states of Unfurling, a visual and philosophical “opening and release”.
Unfurling is an expression of both artists’ exploration of how thought, memory and meaning can be reflected through everyday objects within everyone’s reach – a piece of cloth, a solitary corridor, a child’s laugh, or a curled up leaf. It is an attempt by both to reflect on the ebb and flow of life from different generational vantage points, always seeking artistic truth.
A veteran documentary photographer himself, Jide Adeneyi-Jones who took time out to appraise some of the works said he was struck by their originality, one that is devoid of artificial manipulations that could deny the true essence of the works.
“Looking at these photographs, I am struck first of all by their honesty. By honesty, I mean a visual fidelity to their individual ways of seeing, nothing contrived, just a refreshing lack of self-consciousness that they have in common,” Adeneyi-Jones, who has worked across Africa, Europe and North America, said.
Awe-struck by the works, celebrated Nigerian portrait photographer and musician, TY Bello said: “Unfurling is not photography; it is not poetry. It is light in a simple and pure form. By seeing through their eyes we are lifted through the truth of two worlds and find ourselves making peace with where we are.”
“These images transcend the humans, nature and situations they capture at different times and various locations. They bridge the dichotomy of how we live and relate with our environment, and gently guide our eyes to look inward and reflect, slowing us down to review life and meditate on everything’s existence,” adds Victor Ehikhamenor, former artistic director of 234NEXT and a celebrated Nigerian visual artist.
The Obiagos also said their poetry touches on everyday challenges and the desire to find truth. The poems are a social commentary on life in an African mega-city, as well as focus on a personal path to self discovery, and are juxtaposed alongside photographs which visually strengthen these musings.
For Amara, photography is a pleasant hobby that helps in communicating her understandings, feelings and interpretations of things around her.
A first year International Affairs student at George Washington University in DC, Amara grew up in Nigeria and has a gifted eye and an unforgiving photographic lens. She started taking photos at age eight and her portfolio is made up of images she took with diverse cameras including her first Sony Erickson phone, presenting the world through a daring and bold youthful prism.
“Before I take a photograph, I try to pick out the part of the scene that may not be obvious to others present. I pick out an object, a smile, a pose… really a distinct moment in time that can never be reproduced. I was told I do this as a way of self-identification in each scene and I believe this to be true. In every image there is a small part of me, a mirror that reflects a certain time, place, memory and thought,” Amara said.
On why she has chosen to stage an exhibition alongside with her daughter, Sandra said both of them are of two generations and that what shaped her artistic perspective sometimes differ from what shapes that of her daughter.
“We are seeing realities from different perspectives. An Igbo adage says: what an old woman might see while sitting, a young woman might see while standing. We are of different generation and we are both using cameras to tell the stories the way they appear to our imaginations and perceptions,” Sandra, whose works dating back to 2007 were also presented at the exhibition, said.
Speaking further, she said: “Photography and poetry is private and personal art for me. Coming from a film background, which is a group art form, I have always felt solace and comfort in retreating into myself and creating with no one around.”
The exhibition is being sponsored by Ruinart, Global Energy Group, a leading Nigerian corporate art patron, and the Wheatbaker, a boutique hotel.