LAGOSPHOTO FESTIVAL TRANSITIONS TO A BIENNIAL WITH ITS 2025 EDITION THEMED ‘INCARCERATION’
words by PHOEBE GIBSON-DOUGALL
Azu Nwagbogu knows a thing or two about the necessity of growth and transformation. An ability to adapt and define himself on his own terms has seen the Nigerian art curator play a foundational role in the expansion of country’s flourishing arts scene. Nwagbogu is the founder and director of African Artists’ Foundation (AAF), the organisation behind LagosPhoto— the first international arts festival of photography in Nigeria. This year, under Nwagbogu’s curatorial eye for its 15th iteration, LagosPhoto Festival has transitioned to a biennial with the theme 'Incarceration.' The 2025 edition will feature commissioned works from artists and diverse curations of incarceration perspectives, in collaboration with upcoming curators.
Ayobami Ogungbe
Brother’s Keeper, 2021
courtesy of the artist and AAF
In a world where African narratives have too often been shaped by external perspectives, LagosPhoto aims to establish a community for contemporary photography; uniting local and international artists through images that encapsulate individual experiences and identities from across Africa. The inaugural biennial explores the theme of ‘Incarceration’ in its various dimensions, from physical imprisonment to intellectual, psychological, and societal confinement.
Tommie Ominde
2025
courtesy of the artist, AAF, and Tender Photos
In his curatorial statement, Nwagbogu reflects on the many forms that incarceration can take but ultimately notes:
“The main imprisonment danger in any creative endeavour is to begin. The second aspect of incarceration is that both the artistic ‘giver ’and the audience, viewer or other ‘receiver ’are trapped — held captive — in their own reference systems, limited by bars established by a sort of essentialist predetermination”.
Despite this, LagosPhoto Biennial is an exploration of hope, for Nwagbogu also acknowledges the emancipatory power of art:
“However, the lens captures and liberates time. Photographers, film and image makers understand the urgency of creating and capturing artefacts of our time. For the 15th edition of the annual LagosPhoto Festival, we challenge artists to liberate narratives that are powerful artefacts of our time."
LagosPhoto Biennial is currently taking place in Lagos and Ibadan, Nigeria, and runs until November 29, 2025.
