Eko Moves is an exhibition of creative ideas in photography and dance shot by the German-trained fashion and advertising photographer Yetunde Ayeni Babaeko. The project was done in collaboration with the Society of Performing Arts of Nigeria (SPAN), the brainchild of Sarah Boulos, a Lebanese-Nigerian artist, who has used dance to lift the hopes of some talented young Nigerians.
Sarah, whose major goal is to establish a dance school in Agidigba Community Centre in a neglected building downtown Lagos, organises workshops in private schools and clubs, in order to subsidize free classes in forgotten areas of Lagos, like the ‘’Dustbin Estate’’, a community where Yetunde took some shots; the residents literally live on massive garbage dumps.
The great body of work consists of 25 amazing images that show ballet and contemporary hip hop dancers expressing their passion for dance through flight in the air, showing their liveliness and character with the background of Lagos. This body of works depicts the aesthetics of movement, space and time in the busy, constantly progressing city of Lagos.
The dancers danced through many places in Lagos: the National Stadium Surulere, the ever busy Balogun Market, the beaches, dump sites, under the bridge, classrooms, bus stops and the Fela Shrine. The photographs show dancers frozen in motion in these spaces, hanging above the usual hustle and bustle and chaos familiar to virtually every Lagos resident. Her images also show beauty and hope.
Sandra Mbanefo Obiago, a documentary filmmaker who is the exhibition curator, explained that the project is a beautiful convergence of two different art forms, photography and dance, against the ever moving backdrop of urban growth and difficulties.
Looking closely at some of the photos, one sees ballerinas dressed like angels descended from heaven showering their blessings on a hopeless humanity. Yetunde redefines Lagos with this body of work, giving Lagosians a message of hope and optimism. Just like her previous exhibitions, this is yet another masterpiece from Yetunde Ayeni Babaeko. This project however is aimed at bringing social change and development to some communities where these images were shot, by teaching them dance and photography.
According to the photographer, the project is continuous and open for more collaboration from institutions and other professional artists as well. Some of her images are provoking thoughts already, sending a message to the world that Nigeria is a creative hub and that talented young Nigerians should be supported through arts and creativity.
The exhibition was largely supported by Deutsche Bank, the Wheatbaker and Ruinart and runs from December 1, 2014 till February 15, 2015.
You can contact Sandra Mbanefo Obiago at sandraobiago@yahoo.com or +23434021901 for more information
