NY-based Photographer Captures 64 Nollywood Stars In Elegant Style

In this solo exhibition, Udé will be offering a substantial presentation of his portraits of members of Nigeria’s vibrant movie industry, Nollywood. He will orchestrate a dramatic cinematic atmosphere of light and colour, whereby the industry’s illustrious veterans, in company with the next generation of emerging talent pose in classically staged shots.

Pictorial representation will include personalities such as actress Genevieve Nnaji, director Stephanie Okereke Linus and filmmaker Kunle Afolayan.

In all, 64 Nollywood personalities captured in the elegant style of the artist will feature in the exhibition, which will run till Sunday, June 16.

With these works of portraiture, Udé complements the discourse on the representation of Africans in cinema, from colonial domination and inferior stereotypes to one of intellect and creative agency in telling our own stories.

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Nollywood Portraits:A Radical Beauty Venue: Alliance Francais, Lagos, Nigeria Dates: June 1st thru June 16th., 2019 Sponsored by: the Ford Foundation . . . EXCERPTS from Olu Oguibe's essay, “A Master’s Tribute”, from the book, "Nollywood Portraits: A Radical Beauty" (Skira) 2016. . . . “Iké Udé has given us defining images of a profoundly influential creative generation with his Nollywood portraits, and it is a historic event. It is a celebration, but also a significant affirmation that further inscribes Nollywood cinema and its makers in the intellectual history of the moment, and in global cultural memory. Furthermore, it is an important aesthetic gesture, with a long progeny in the history of representation.” . . “Because almost all the figures, if not all, are of uniform scale, Udé dramatically flattens the perspective like in any Egyptian scene or elaborate Meso- American or Mughal painting, electing to indicate pictorial depth by stacking and overlapping the figures and elements instead. So, although the image does still reference Raphael’s composition at first glance, with the elements arranged around a central figure, it does so on its own terms and in a manner that rivals the old master’s.” . . “There are several other notable differences, some of which are intentional while others are merely convenient. For instance, while Raphael appropriately located his characters in classical antiquity, Udé’s subjects are placed in an entirely contemporary but equally fitting setting, without replicating the grand architectural background against which Raphael configured his multiple dramas." . . SPECIAL THANK YOU: Alliance Francais @af.lagos, African Artist Foundation @aaf_lagos, to the Executive Manager of the Nollywood Portraits, Mr. Osahon Akpata @osahona . and to @omenkaonline and @de_boss7. . . . Immeasurable thank you to all the 64 Nollywood participants.” .Soon off to Lagos for the exhibition!!! 👍 . . TED LINK: https://www.ted.com/talks/ike_ude_the_radical_beauty_of_africa_in_portraits . .

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