Atanda Adebayo: This Water Knows our Story Part II

This is a project by the artist Atanda Quadri Adebayo, curated by Fer Francés and commisioned by VETA. The first part of this show took place in Makoko, a district of Lagos ( Nigeria ) and was the first solo show by the artist at this country. 

 

Makoko is the world´s largest floating slum. The number of habitants is unknown, as there is no official register from Nigerian goverment. The neighbourhood is the perfect summary of the challenges facing the country: the tension between the elite´s aspirations for modernity and the miserable reality in which the mjority survive.

 

The area is very close to Adebayo, as his mother´s family is related to a white garment religious community there and it is a place where some friends and relatives lives.

 

The project was born in VETA during the first residency of this artist in Spain, when following a conversation about Makoko, the idea of portraying several of its inhabitants in a show there arose. There portraits represent proud people, vibrating with hope, despite the adversity inherent in their lives.