[The Guardian] Yoruban masqueraders very near Newcastle: Àsìkò’s best photograph

Yoruban masqueraders very near Newcastle: Àsìkò’s best photograph

‘In Yoruba culture, these giant otherwordly figures represent the return of deceased ancestors. Photographing them in port towns north of Newcastle was quite surreal’

My parents were part of a group of Nigerians who came to study in the UK. They met and married here and I was born in London; then they moved back to Nigeria with me when I was a year or two old. Growing up, I was surrounded by Yoruba culture and inspired by a lot of the local artwork my dad collected and put on the walls.

Returning to London as a teenager, I felt like an alien. Everything looked foreign and I struggled to understand people’s points of reference. I spent many years after university working in the pharmaceutical industry before moving back to my first love: art. I made a living for a while as a commercial photographer, but it took me some years to start focusing on the more personal work that really fulfils me.

Continue reading...
Source: Yoruban masqueraders very near Newcastle: Àsìkò’s best photograph

Feeds culled from https://www.theguardian.com/uk/rss