Apr 26, 2022

The Black Gaze Newsletter | April 2022

The Black Gaze Newsletter

Hello Black Gaze Family!

My name is Tobi Sobowale. I am a British-Nigerian Multidisciplinary Artist, born and raised in London.

This month’s newsletter will explore the multi-faceted layers of who I am by looking at heritage, identity and how creativity can be used to explore these themes.

H-E-R-I-T-A-G-E

Heritage.

What does the word heritage mean to you?

It connects with history

It connects with people

It connects with places

It’s the past, it’s the present

And it’s the future.

Heritage.

The past. The present. The future.

The past… The present… The future…

If you asked me about my heritage,

I wouldn’t know where to start.

You see

I was born in Lewisham so therefore I am…

Black and British

My mum grew up in Nigeria

My dad was born there

And therefore, I am Nigerian

But not really…

You see all I know is Lewisham,

Born and bred in Southeast London

26 years and I still live here

Preserving my Nigerian heritage is what I fear

My heritage is in my name

I know it’s not quite the same… but

It’s one of the main ways in which my culture remains

My heritage is in my name

I may not have been born in Nigeria

I might not have lived there

But that doesn’t make me any less Nigerian to be fair

Through my name I have a connection to this place

So, if you don’t think I belong, come say it to my face

My grandparents were born there

So, my family history is something I handle with care

They allow me to connect

To this place

And therefore, I am Nigerian, correct?

But let’s bring it back to London,

Southeast specifically

I’ve seen people rep this area religiously

I’ve seen it change

Good or bad

You decide

Gentrification pushes people out

Is that a fair ride?

You might say it’s necessary

Some might say it’s wrong

If I shared all my thoughts, I could probably write a song

Elephant & Castle, Brixton, Deptford

Need I say more?

They don’t look the same as before

But it highlights the importance of the preservation of local spaces

Keeping a record of the changing faces

I don’t even know who my neighbours are anymore

People come and go, so what am I remembering names for?

But it highlights the importance of the preservation of local spaces

Maybe not always physically

Because sometimes it’s not up to us what spaces remain

But if we share the stories, our perspectives, have some ownership

Its heritage all the same

Anyway, I’ve spoken enough about me

But we’re all experts of our own experiences, you see

H-E-R-I-T-A-G-E

I’ve shared a bit about what heritage means to me,

I play a role in preserving my heritage and you do too

So, I am going to ask this question one last time

What does heritage mean to you?

- Tobi Sobowale, 2022.

My Peoples

Wasi Daniju

Wasi, a UK-based Nigerian photographer, responds to our My Peoples brief.

Discover

The ‘Discover’ section will look a bit different this month. It features Nigerian musicians, artists, authors, and photographers whose work inspires me. I’ve included these names because they use their art to express their identity through their culture and heritage, some by delving into major historical events of Nigeria’s past.

Burna Boy: Another Story (feat. M.anifest)

Burna gets candid telling the solemn story of Nigeria breaking free from under British rule in 1960. Nigerian citizens are shown wearing black blindfolds that read the various issues that plagued the nation prior to gaining its independence like “greed,” “corruption” and “fear.”

Falz: This is Nigeria

“This Is Nigeria” is a song by Nigerian rapper Falz, is a cover of Childish Gambino’s “This Is America”. The song addresses a number of societal issues prevalent in Nigeria, including SARS brutality, codeine abuse and unrestrained killings.

Tobi Sobowale: Don't Touch My Hair

Does this statement sound familiar? It’s a phrase thought of by many black people, especially black women but its not a phrase that is often said.

My main inspiration for this project were the women around me, as well as my Yoruba heritage. For those of you who don’t know, the Yoruba people are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabits parts of Nigeria, Benin and Togo.

Today in Nigeria and the diaspora, Yoruba people are known for opulence and flair. The series creates modern interpretations of traditional Yoruba hairstyles.

To learn more about this project, click here.

Bookshelf

As a photographer I often think about what makes my work different. What story do I want to tell? What is the narrative of my work?

Moving forward I want to deepen my understanding of my heritage and learn how I can translate my ‘Black-British-ness’ and Nigerian culture into the art I create.

…my point is that the only authentic identity for the African is the tribe…I am Nigerian because a white man created Nigeria and gave me that identity. I am black because the white man constructed black to be as different as possible from his white. But I was Igbo before the white man came.” ― Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Half of a Yellow Sun

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Half of a Yellow Sun

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s masterpiece, winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction, is a novel about Africa in a wider sense: about the end of colonialism, ethnic allegiances, class and race – and about the ways in which love can complicate all of these things.

Buy now

Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart

First published in 1958, Chinua Achebe’s stark, coolly ironic novel reshaped both African and world literature, and has sold over ten million copies in forty-five languages. This arresting parable of a proud but powerless man witnessing the ruin of his people begins Achebe’s landmark trilogy of works chronicling the fate of one African community, continued in Arrow of God and No Longer at Ease.

Buy now

Read

Afrophobia. Yes, It’s a Thing

After living in Black skin every day for well over five decades in a country where white is the default cultural standard for all that is meet and right, I’ve picked up a thing or two about what’s going on. It’s Afrophobia. Yes, that’s a real thing. - Clay Rivers

Clay Rivers, editor of Our Human Family (OHF) Weekly reflects on Afrophobia, a phenomenon that continues to a lived experience that impacts photography and life.

Sunrise Mill Estate: A Photograph by Immaculata Abba

Former Q&A collaborator, Immaculata Abba reflects on what Nigeria and photography means to her.

Game of confidence: Nigeria’s female boxers throw a punch at the patriarchy

Women’s boxing is nothing new in Nigeria, yet sexist attitudes still hold firm. All six women photographed by Taiwo Aina for this project – from different backgrounds, and at different levels – have shown fierce determination in taking up a sport seen by many, including their own families, as unfeminine.

The High Life

Lagos, Africa’s most populous city, is home to almost 15 million people. Among them are some of the biggest names of the fast-growing music genre known as Afrobeats, making for a party like no other.

Chin We: An Ode to Elysee

This visual and textual series is prompted by the various hairnets worn by Black women, one of which comes in packaging branded ‘Elysee’. The series explores the relationship Black women have with their hairnets and silk scarves while celebrating Black women, hair and culture.

The Art of Printmaking: By Uchechukwu Ibemere

Andrew Jackson: Framing

Photography allows us to see so many things but also perhaps to see only that which we want to. - Andrew Jackson

This poignant reflection by Andrew highlights truths and ask important questions that we can all reflect on as we develop as photographers, curators and gallerists.

Watch

Through the Lens: Nigeria

“Through The Lens - Nigeria” is a web docuseries presented by ADORAMA that features Nigerian photographers who shoot everything from product photography to fashion photography. Take a look at the creatives who are inspiring a world of photographers.

Nigeria IS NOT WHAT YOU THINK!

What does Nigeria really look like? This short tour around Lagos, Obudu Cattle Ranch, Ibom Golf Resort, and Gurara Falls seeks to answer that question.

Events

Moments in Time

Free Space Project is delighted to announce their new exhibition ‘Moments in Time’ bringing together artists Iko-Ojo Mercy Haruna and Lucy Levene. Conceived as a two-person exhibition, it features powerful, dynamic images capturing fleeting moments in parenthood, highlighted in the chosen title. Despite varying in composition and scale, the photographs foreground the shared aspects of the artist’s practices: the visualisation of often private moments in parenthood.

Until 30th May 2022
Free Space Project
London

More info

Wasi Daniju: Hours of a Moment

Wasi is set to launch her debut virtual exhibition on her birthday (insha'Allah). Stay tuned for updates.

7 June 2022 at 7pm
Online

More info

Deadline

Women Photograph: Project Grants

Deadline: 15 May 2022

These $5,000 grants will support photography projects - either new or in-progress - from visual journalists working in a documentary capacity. Women Photograph has also partnered with Leica USA to award a $10,000 grant to a photographer focused on an ongoing documentary project.

Submit your entry

F-STOP Magazine: Open Theme

Deadline: 15 May 2022

Issue 113 will not have a theme, it is open to all fine art and documentary photography. Only one submission per person for an issue. The featured artist is chosen from the work that is submitted to the issue.

Submit your entry

Global Peace Photo Award 2022

Deadline: 22 May 2022

Open to photographers worldwide, the top five listed photographers will be awarded the Alfred Fried Peace Medal. The Peace Image of the Year will receive €10,000. The winning picture will be on display for one year at the Austrian Parliament and will be included in the permanent art collection of the Austrian Parliament.

Submit your entry

Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2022

Deadline: 31 May 2022

Entry is now open for the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2022. Open to all, it is the leading international competition, and celebrates and promotes the very best in contemporary photography.

Image - Peter Zelewski

Submit your entry (paid)

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