IT'S the week-four of the photography adventurers, Invisible Borders, who are currently on tour of some countries across Africa.Leader of the group, Emeka Okereke disclosed that they were in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where presentation of their works was held at the country's Modern Art Museum.Nigerian Ambassador to Ethiopia, Paul Lolo and Director of the museum, Aida Muluneh, were among the guests at the presentation, Okereke said.The works, viewed via the Internet include Okereke's Fragments Of Moments, Jumoke Sanwo's My Faces, Ray-Daniels Okeugo's Fortification, Kemi Akin-Nibosun's Pokart Waz Ere and Ala Kheir. With his project titled In Progress.Okereke: 'My project is a series of photographic oeuvres produced in the span of Nigeria to Ethiopia through Tchad and Sudan, which looks at the coincidence between space and the people whom that space embodies. It is a visual rendition of the symbiotic relationship between a being and the space occupied in just a fragment of a moment.'The aesthetic landmark leans remarkably on the fact that components within the frame are intentionally structured in a geometric order to give every element ' both animate and inanimate ' a deserved presence and individuality, as if to say: 'You are the Space, and the Space is You.''Equally, within this structured frame, one can through the myriad tango between lines, colours, textures, objects and people decipher that dynamism, diversity as well as similarities which exist between people and places as we travel through borders from West to East of Africa.'For Sanwo's My Faces Project, it's about a reflection and perception, from an individual's attitude towards a barrier. 'A face can be a reflection of an individual's circumstance or a barrier shielding his internal reflections' I am fascinated by faces and chose to explore the various Similarities and Differences it portrays.'Okeugo's Fortification dwells on what the photographer described as his fresh knowledge of Africa.'Normally my approach is to flow with the rhythm of each moment but at the same time building a body of work that I call Fortification, which I illustrate by dramatising my subject (s). I use hard-hat which is used by engineers and construction workers in construction locations as a means of half-protecting themselves from an accident that might never happen and when it happens the person is obviously not completely protected.'This consciousness towards protection is applicable in our everyday activities, irrespective of age, gender, skin colour, position, etc. Itis a suggestive idea that juxtaposes itself with our quest for survival. But the question still remains: Are we really protected when we take these precautions'Is it not riskier not to take a risk''For Akin-Nibosun's Pokart Waz Ere, creating relationships across borders is a priority. 'It's about imposing; crossing several borders and forming relationships. Pokart is a pseudo name derived from a combination of my initials. The 'waz ere' is a reference to a popular contemporary English graffiti culture of which I'm very much subscribed to.'My personal take is that we need to be more lenient on the emphasis of telling 'a story of Africa', and concentrate more on the process which begets the story. Let Africa be the canvas! It's one of two things; Africa can be your canvas or your catalyst and this is one of the thoughts I attempt to convey.'It's about work in progress for Kheir. His project titled In Progress, he explained captures photograph of building and construction sites, whose lines, grids and squares restrict like the limitations present around me.'Shapes that open out like Hitchcock's symphony of rear windows, except that these frames are devoid of content. Their empty geometry triggers senses and patterns of association. Ruins of memory. Scaffolds of things to come.
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