‘Afrotopias’ in Lagos – the Contemporary Face of Africa in Photography

The ‘Afrotopias’ project will be presented in Lagos, Nigeria, showcasing the contemporary face of Africa through the works of eighteen young artists from across the continent. The exhibition forms part of the LagosPhoto Festival Biennale 2025, Africa’s leading photography event, which this year explores the theme of ‘imprisonment’ in its physical, mental, and symbolic dimensions. The ‘Afrotopias’ exhibition is supported, among others, by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

Eighteen Young Artists from Africa in the ‘Afrotopias’ Project

‘Afrotopias’ is an artistic and research project devoted to the cultures of West and East Africa. At its core is a series of exhibitions presenting a contemporary image of Sub-Saharan Africa through the works of eighteen young artists from the continent. Their works – primarily artistic photography – employ metaphor, stylisation, and a subjective visual language.  They address themes such as evolving visual sensitivity, attitudes towards tradition, spirituality, and cultural practices. The artists also explore the challenges of shaping gender identity, the paradoxes of contemporary capitalism, and humanity’s relationship with nature in the face of the climate crisis.

The project draws inspiration from the concept of African utopias developed by Senegalese philosopher Felwine Sarr, from whom the title ‘Afrotopia’ was taken. Its aim is to give a voice to African artists. The works on display emphasise the subjectivity and contemporaneity of Africa’s inhabitants, free from exoticisation. They challenge stereotypes and remind us that Africa is not a single country, but a continent of many cultures, histories, traditions, and communities. The exhibition will be open at the State Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw until 16 November 2025.

LagosPhoto Festival Biennale 2025 – The Significance of ‘Imprisonment’ in Contemporary Art

Launched in 2010, LagosPhoto is an international photography festival held in Nigeria. For a month, the Gulf of Guinea becomes the stage for exhibitions, workshops, artist presentations, discussions, and large-scale outdoor photography displays. The festival’s aim is to reclaim public space and engage a broad audience in complex narratives about Africa. LagosPhoto fosters a community of contemporary photography, bringing together local and international artists through images that reveal individual experiences and identities from across the continent. It presents and promotes photography as a medium for exploring historical and contemporary issues, exchanging cultural practices, and advancing social initiatives.

The theme of the LagosPhoto Festival Biennale 2025 is ‘imprisonment’ in its many dimensions – from the physical and political to the mental, intellectual, and symbolic. The curators examine various forms of enslavement: from prison walls and national borders to the invisible barriers of thought, power, and identity. The festival highlights that imprisonment may be imposed by others but can also be self-created – through beliefs, prejudices, and fears. Artists are encouraged to release narratives that document and reinterpret contemporary human experiences. At the heart of this reflection lies the question of what true freedom means – in art, in society, and within ourselves.

African Contemporary Photography – Engaging the Public and the Artistic Community

The Biennale will transform into a city-wide laboratory hosting exhibitions, artist talks, workshops, and activities centred on the question: what does it mean to be free in a world built on control? Subsequent chapters in the story of imprisonment – where photography becomes both testimony and escape – will unfold across prestigious venues including AAF Lagos, Freedom Park, Alliance Française, Nahous, DIDI Museum, Madhouse, and 16x16 Gallery.

The ‘Afrotopias’ project will be presented in a symbolic location: Freedom Park. This historic memorial park, situated on an island, occupies the site of the former colonial prison Her Majesty’s Broad Street, whose original walls now serve as its perimeter fence. Today, the park is an open public space hosting social and artistic events. The Afrotopia exhibition in Lagos will be complemented by historical contexts of Polish–African relations, selected archival photographs by Tadeusz Sumiński, and curatorial texts by Oliwia Bosomtwe, author of the book Jak biały człowiek (Like a White Man). The project’s exhibition in Poland remains on view at the State Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw until 16 November 2025.

‘Afrotopias’ Exhibition in Lagos, Nigeria

• Dates:  31 October – 30 November 2025

• Venue: Freedom Park National Monument (Old Prison Ground 1, Hospital Road, next to St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos Island)

• Opening: 31 October 2025, 5:00–9:00 p.m.; preview: 26 October 2025, 2:00 p.m.

• Curatorial Team: Oliwia Bosomtwe (Poland), Amy Muhoro (Kenya), Malaika Nabila (Togo), Witek Orski (Poland)

• Artists:  Mbali Dhlamini, Carlos Idun-Tawiah, Melanie Issaka, Kiboko Kamau, Solomon Kyalo, William Malawi, Sackitey Tesa Mate-Kodjo, Neema Negligee, Shawn N. Hounkpatin, Margaret Ngigi, James Muriuki, Koffi Seble, Shitanda, Stephen Tayo, Ayomide Tejuoso (Plantation), and the Tadeusz Sumiński archive

• Organisers: Visual Arts Foundation / Krakow Photomonth, State Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw, African Artists’ Foundation

• Co-organiser: Adam Mickiewicz Institute

• Patronage: Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Abuja

• Project co-financed by: Ministry of Culture and National Heritage