Photography: History and Evolution as Object-Commodity of Value
For a contraption that has created social and cultural divisions right from its introduction in France in 1839, its relevance cannot be underestimated, and its use within the art and the media worlds have remained invaluable. Photography has that ability to engage reality and as well “hype up” myths and to deceive. This two-faced ability enabled the colonial machinery to create “their own notion of Africa” which has now become burdensome to dismantle. Thus, as photography made its way into Africa through the colonist and economic exploiters, they arrived the continent with a very important tool — the camera amongst other items of value from the homelands. The camera, then very cumbersome and “unrefined” would eventually become the object through which Africa would be visually shaped. — in its history, culture, people, and its context, representation and identity. It would become an expansive foray!
As the visual representation of Africa was formed and engrafted into the consciousness of the European population over the centuries through Western image making and news media propagation, African photographers who worked for or in collaboration with the colonists also used the cam- era to their own benefits. As they reported the colonial progress for their employers, they also developed their own creative voices, their trades and businesses around photography. Therefore, in the later part of the 19th century, African photographers began to engage their homelands away from the direct influence of their European benefactors, thus interrogating and exploring Africa on a variety of contexts. The likes of Malick Sidibe (Mali) JD Okhai Ojeikere (Nigeria) and David Goldblatt (South Africa) had developed narratives centered on themes and stories on people, culture, and the environment. Most photographers of the 19th century generation setup studios and agencies parallel to their work for the colonial administration in major West African towns. The likes of Francis Wilberforce Joaque, Hezekiah Andrew Shanu, H. Sanya Freeman, and the father and son collaboration of Walwin-Holm were dominant names in addition to JA Green and later on Solomon Alonge who worked and documented the Benin Royal court after the 17 years interregnum.
This short essay is not limited only to the history of photography in Nigeria but is intended to look at how the medium has evolved to become an important medium of expression. The essay will also look at how the medium has performed, in contemporary times, in the art market and its attendant value as a revenue generator and a source of empowerment to those who use it as their form or medium of expression. Photography in Nigeria over the last 20 years has gained international recognition, traversing national borders and making its way into mainstream international photography festivals and discourses. With representations at major art events like the Bamako Biennale, Paris Photo, Documenta and the Venice Art Biennale, photographers from Nigeria are measuring up with their contemporaries all over the world. A large number of young artists use photography as their preferred medium to express their views on contemporary issues that affect society. Thus, emphasizing photography as a critical tool and language of expression in modern times.
Across generations, Nigerian photographers have had good representation and visibility in the continent and in other regions (in Europe, Asia, Oceania and the Americas). The merits of good visibility for the works of the icons and the emerging groups have necessitated the establishment and growth of the primary and secondary markets in the world with their impacts felt in Africa, and resultantly in Nigeria. Sotheby’s and Christie's, two of the world's most acclaimed auction houses have seen good figures for photography sales pass through their coffers. In 2021, Sotheby’s revenue stood at about $7.3 Billion in sales.
This includes sales in photography. Its NFT numbers in the same year were about $100 Million despite being a new offering in the art market. Likewise, Christies posted a $7.1 Billion in the same year with similar results for NFT’s and other Meta verse offerings with staggering revenue of $150 Million. In Nigeria, initially, prices of works were not commensurate to the traditional art forms. Not that it has caught up, but appreciable progress has been made.
Photographers like George Osodi, Adolphus Opara, Yetunde Ayeni-Babaeko and Ade Adekola are some of the big earners with sales figures between N500, 000.00 to N3, 000,000.00 from the Arthouse, the prominent Lagos art auction house. Back in 2015, the Lagos auction house made about N130, 000,000.00 from just about 60% of the lots presented for auction. Today, even in the post-Covid-19 pandemic era, sales figures are picking up gradually. New markets are emerging globally and the African involvement has been encouraging. Centres like Lagos with the ArtX Lagos fair, Cape Town, and Marrakech are challenging conventional provincial global art centres with the growth and development of contemporary art in the continent. The current trend can be linked to the quality of artists (photographers), their productions and the content of their narratives.
In conclusion, it is relevant to mention that the continued surge in the demand for photographers from Africa and their works is because of the increased use of the camera by young people and the digital evolution. The DSLR is now proliferated and easy to use. It is also important to acknowledge the efforts made by indigenous energies or platforms in Nigeria that have, in the face of global financial recessions, managed to articulate visions and programs to support the development of the sector. Institutions like the Nlele Institute (TNI) Lagos, Lagos Photo Festival, Lagos Biennial, CCA Lagos etc have provided exposure, research methodologies, mentoring and pedagogical tools for reflexive engagement with the medium. The value of these organizations is highlighted within the continent through their collaborative associations with similar organizations across Africa and the rest of the world.
Photographs worth about $1,000,000.00 have been sold and collected by both private and public institutions in the past year (globally) even in the post-Covid-19 pandemic.
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