GLASS: RE/FLECTION

An intimate insight into life lived in a world between worlds; a colourful, yet grounding experience of navigating belonging but not quite. I kicked off this project in 2013 during my first visit back home to Nigeria in 13 years. It was sparked by the immediate joy of longing for the experience and finally attaining it. No matter how hard I tried to contain my excitement, I chased the desire to feel that connection to everything - all at once - with fervour. Through a series of photographs, essays, and sketches, I began to stitch a narrative that transformed the foreign into the familiar and has largely had a home in my archives since inception. I feel compelled to share more of these works as I enter a unique space in my creative process; one that finds feels more connected than I've ever experienced.

Many of the images of this series were made somewhere in proximity to my childhood homes in my patrilineal and matrilineal villages, market spaces I used to frequent in tow with my mother or grandmother, restaurants and even venturing into entirely new places. I love how there is something so poetic about each image that feels personal to me, without infringing on the integrity of the individuals captured.

The title, GLASS embodies many meanings. For one, the photograph in these series are all taken through the glass of a car window. I think this is a shared experience for many immigrants: the first trip back home inspires tension; nuances of Otherness, especially when so much time has passed.

Moving forward, I will continue to build my archive around these moments, hoping to lend a more contemporary lens to participating in and documenting the livelihood of everyday Nigerians. I want to continue to inspire myself to connect, through whatever means are available to me.