The world of art is riddled with conversations– or attempts at conversations: man talking to self, man talking to the world, man talking to God. Art after all, in its purest form is man attempting to communicate beyond self, an active conversation with and about something urgent, anything. Abayomi Shogbade creates art that attempts to capture African realities in layered forms. In one of Abayomi’s recent projects titled ‘Whispers of the Tide’, the photographer evokes and dissects African spirituality.

In African culture, the gods have never been far from the people, widespread stories of juju and voodoo bare evidence of this. Whilst, outright juju might have never been captured on camera, and only retain mystery and influence through interpersonal stories and hearsay. There are numerous events, and rituals of spiritual meanings unique to the African continent in which human beings can participate. This is one of the major themes within Abayomi’s ‘Whispers of the Tide’, he leans on concepts of masquerading, how man is elevated to god status when he puts on the mask.

In these pictures, his muse, Ericmoore Emezuru is bare chested on the beach clutching a wooden mask that Abayomi purchased on eBay. It is difficult identifying the region this mask originated from however, Abayomi in conversation seemed quite pleased with himself that the mask was original. While creating this project, Abayomi had thought about how nature works hand in hand with matters of spiritual importance. “This thing has been a thing of curiosity for me because my father was a member of the celestial church of christ and he liked to go to the beach to pray. I often wonder if there are spirits that answer prayers in natural places?” Abayomi goes on to add a recent experience “Recently, a friend of mine needed a job and he decided to go to the mountain to pray about it and he found his breakthrough.”

Abayomi Shogbade ‘Whispers of the Tide’

The photos within ‘Whispers of the Tide’ are carefully curated to reflect and capture these musings that Abayomi has. There is a predominant teal and orange overlay to bring out the mood in the environment. “I shot it natural” Abayomi says, “but I edited it this way to show how heavy the spirituality of that environment is. The images cross artificial to ethereal and strange, they evoke questions and emotions of wonder. Three of four of the images in this project have the model with the mask over his face. The only one without a mask to the face has the model sitting down with his back to the camera, the mask leans on his bareback while his hand reaches into the sky searching for a higher power.

Abayomi started creating art in 2016 and has managed to develop a formidable portfolio that shows uncommon sensitivity to culture and tradition. “Initially, my family wasn’t particularly inclined toward the creative arts. I remember telling my mom that I was going to buy a camera, and she initially resisted the idea, concerned that it didn’t align with my level of education.” However, his mother eventually came around identifying as the number one supporter of his art. “My mom has grown to be a true lover of art. As for my father, I lost him at a young age, so my memories of him are not as vivid.”

Abayomi Shogbade, recently migrated to Swansea has had to overcome the hurdle of finding a creative community in his area. ‘You know, right here in the UK, especially in Swansea, the African community isn’t that strong yet. And for my project, Shades of Sovereignty, I reached out to my neighbor one afternoon because I hadn’t created in a while.’ This particular project highlighted the beauty of dark human skin. Abayomi applied makeup on his subject to emphasize on the skin tone. “The details on her skin are intentionally left visible, signifying the natural beauty and individuality of every person. This photograph encourages black individuals to embrace their skin color as a source of empowerment and dignity while also conveying that beauty transcends all skin tones.”

Another project in Abayomi’s oeuvre is titled Kinship, which entails the portrait of a young black man posing with the skull of a buffalo. This aims to shed more light on our relationship with the animals around us, how humans and nature share a symbiotic relationship— sometimes for better, most times for worse. In conversation, Abayomi reveals that he found the skull as a prop in a gallery and was so drawn to it that he had to use it in a project.

Abayomi Shogbade ‘Kinship’

Abayomi Shogbade’s projects continue to explore interesting parts of Nigerian culture even with the limitations he faces in his current domicile in the United Kingdom. The originality and essence of his art shine through in his ideas and they have been shown at Cipriarte Venezia Gallery, Venice, Italy, 2024; Andalukova Gallery, Dubai/United Arab Emirates, 2024; The Holy Art Gallery in London, 2024; SWISSARTEXPO 2024, and Zurich/Switzerland, 2024.

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