Lagos' first street art festival turns city into 'open-air gallery'

Lagos first street art festival turns city into open-air gallery

Toyin Adedokun / AFP via Getty Images Parts of Nigeria’s biggest city, Lagos, have been turned into an “open-air gallery”, in the words of the organisers of the city’s first street art festival. One of the featured artists, Ashaolu Oluwafemi, told the BBC that the festival brings art “to the people and the community”. “People…

grey placeholderToyin Adedokun / AFP via Getty Images Two men walk past a brightly coloured mural featuring a woman in sunglasses holding a globe. There is a can and a bus on either sideToyin Adedokun / AFP via Getty Images

Parts of Nigeria’s biggest city, Lagos, have been turned into an “open-air gallery”, in the words of the organisers of the city’s first street art festival.

One of the featured artists, Ashaolu Oluwafemi, told the BBC that the festival brings art “to the people and the community”.

“People don’t always have the opportunity to go to exhibitions, so they don’t have the opportunity to see art,” he said.

grey placeholderSodiq Adelakun / REUTERS Cars and a motorbike drive past a mural of a man and a woman both wearing green headgear and sunglasses looking at each other, while a couple is dancing in between them.Sodiq Adelakun / REUTERS

The artwork is on display on Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue, a busy street in Victoria Island in the heart of the city.

grey placeholderToyin Adedokun / AFP via Getty Images Several brightly coloured murals are seen on a wall next to a busy road full of cars. A crane and a tower bloc can be seen in the distance. Behind the wall are trees and a block of flats.Toyin Adedokun / AFP via Getty Images

Oluwafemi, who was born and brought up in Lagos, said he and the other artists were telling the story of the city and its rise.

“You have to be wise and strong and brilliant to make it out of Lagos.”

grey placeholderSodiq Adelakun / REUTERS A man stands in front of a mural of a pair of binoculars outlined in yellow against a black background, along with the slogan: We Are AliveSodiq Adelakun / REUTERS

Although Lagos is known for its vibrant arts scene, nightlife and creativity, street art is relatively unknown.

“The visibility is not too strong compared to other African nations,” painter Ernest Ibe told AFP news agency.

“So, it’s a challenge, but the country is evolving. We are beginning to understand the impact of social murals and how it affects us socially and in our environment in general.”

grey placeholderSodiq Adelakun / REUTERS A man in a car looks past other cars at a brightly coloured mural of a woman and a peacock.Sodiq Adelakun / REUTERS

This painting was done by Babalola Oluwafemi, a Nigerian artist who flew in from the British city of Manchester.

“I’m just telling how Lagos people love to party, love to go to parties, love to eat food. And they just love to be colourful,” she told AFP.

The peacock is often used to symbolise beauty and pride in Nigerian art, AFP reports.

“Everything in Lagos is different. A whole lot of cars, a whole lot of traffic – a whole lot of comments from people passing by [saying] ‘Nice work’,” said the 32-year-old.

grey placeholderSodiq Adelakun / REUTERS A man kneeling under scaffolding applies the finishing touches to a mural of a woman wearing a red headscarf and a large grey necklace. Another man looks on while a block of flats can be seen in the backgroundSodiq Adelakun / REUTERS

“Lagos is a place where you can express yourself,” Ashaolu Oluwafemi told the BBC.

He said he painted the mural above to show the joy of the city.

“This woman is expressing herself. She’s so excited about her life in Lagos.”

He said that people were very happy to see the street art. “It really speaks to them.”

grey placeholderToyin Adedokun / AFP via Getty Images Two men walk past a brightly coloured mural of a young woman painting the earth.Toyin Adedokun / AFP via Getty Images

The festival opened on Wednesday and continues until Monday, 15 December but the murals will be left in place afterwards.

grey placeholderToyin Adedokun / AFP via Getty Images A man in a high-vis jacket paints a mural of a woman. He is surrounded by scaffolding.Toyin Adedokun / AFP via Getty Images
grey placeholderSodiq Adelakun / REUTERS A man in a black and white shirt leans on scaffolding in front of a black, white and red abstract mural, featuring the word Pop in red.Sodiq Adelakun / REUTERS

Most of the artists are Nigerian but Ottograph travelled from the Dutch city of Amsterdam to paint his mural.

grey placeholderSodiq Adelakun / REUTERS People walk past a brightly coloured mural featuring an astronaut and a woman with a purple stripe over her face, along with African artefacts and a message saying: Rewrite your own storySodiq Adelakun / REUTERS
More about African art from the BBC:
grey placeholderGetty Images/BBC A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News AfricaGetty Images/BBC

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