It has been a while since I've met someone who told me that they are completely confident in who they are, or sure of what they are supposed to be doing. There are even less people I know, who can specifically name the people, or list the moments that defined who they are today.
Looking at creatives, who are oftentimes defined solely through their art, it is easy to assume that they are well-rounded, established and self-confident – it can seem as though their work is the replica of everything they are, and only that.
With the words by Adaeze, we are brought into a unique situation – not only is she someone who is aware and grateful for the moments that changed her perspective on photography; she explicitly states that she isn't the things she portrays.
In a piece (that I) titled These women are not me, Adaeze writes that these photographs are more than a self-portrait. Referring to her own work, which explores her own identity, as well as challenges the male and western gaze, it is not unusual to see her in front of the camera. In an era in which self-portraits have become common, unoriginal and even caricatural, she manages to makes every photograph a story worth diving into. I was not sure what it was that continuously brought me back to her art, but after reading her words, I realized that it was her authenticity.
Adaeze brings us back in time to when she was still figuring out what she wanted to do – that same situtation many of us are familiar with – and mentions, among others, three things worth pointing out: an exhibition in Italy by African artists, a trip to Nigeria, and a meeting in Lagos. All three, for different reasons, have been stations on Adaeze's way to becoming
who she is today.
The exhibition
The exhibition opened her eyes to the greatness of photography – their work spoke to me, and I didn't need text to understand those images, Adaeze writes, that was the moment I knew I wanted to do this. I believe that kind of a moment, a realization, is one of the most exquisite, fulfilling and life-changing experiences a person – especially an artist – could have. It takes you by surprise and leaves you excited, intrigued, shocked and ready to truly face yourself through your own art in a new way.
The trip
The trip was when she decided that, even though photography may be her thing, documentary photography isn't. Personal experiences, many people we meet, the conversations we lead – they all shape us in a way, and Adaeze is an example of it.
In her attempt to capture a culture so astranged to the western households, she talked to many women and listened to their many stories. Feeling conflicted about how her images could (or rather couldn't) change their situation, she decided to abandon the path of a documentary photographer.
The meeting
And that brings us to the meeting. In Lagos, with a fellow artist, was when Adaeze found the encouragement she needed to pursue the style of photography she later on adopted as her own. She states that she wasn't even looking for the words of encouragement she had been given, yet somehow, they found their way to her and made her believe that there is a way she could see what the artist saw, too. Ever since, she has been using self-portraits as a means of expressing herself in roles she never experienced before; Adaeze may be the figure in the photos, but what you see is a well acted-out and captured portait of many women she encountered and whose stories she decided to tell.
So today, and every day, we can see everything the artist in Lagos saw himself, and more.
Just like in all our lives, there have been many moments that were involved in creating Adaeze into a human (and an artist) that she is today. Some of them we, and she, might never remember or become consciously aware of.
So with that in mind; surround yourself with good people, but do not build walls to shield yourself from any person. Like what you like, but do not get trapped in the comfortability of your own, tiny reality. Be ambitious and dedicated, but do not close yourself off to new paths, opportunities and eye-opening experiences. All of it – everything – you choose to accept into your life is going to shape you, one way or another.
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