On September 23rd, PIASA is holding a Contemporary Art auction featuring works from a private French collection. This 154 lot sale reflects the collector A.M.'s interest for the photographic medium.
J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere was born in 1930 in the village of Ovbiomu in southwest Nigeria. At the age of 18, he moved to Ibadan to work as a craftsman alongside his uncle. Upon his uncle's death in 1950, he bought his first camera, a Brownie D. This was the beginning of his career as a photographer.
With great perseverance, J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere obtained many jobs that allowed him to achieve his lifelong goal of preserving African culture, especially Nigerian culture. In 1967, he became a member of the Nigeria Art Council and built up a photo library of over 20,000 negatives. Several themes are covered: dance, theatre, children, but it is perhaps the hairstyles - an important element of Nigerian culture - that constitutes the most extensive corpus.
J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere (1930-2014)
Etine Uton Eku, 1974-2000
Estimate: 6 000 / 9 000 €
Indeed, the theme of hairstyles - a fundamental element in African culture and a revealing code of a woman's or her family's social position - fascinates the artist. Thus, from 1968 to 1969, he collected more than 1,000 photographs highlighting the talent of these women "hair artists" that he called the "Hairstyles" series. "To see a 'hair artist' making all these precise gestures like an artist making a sculpture is fascinating. Hairstyles are an art form. This repertoire of photographs reveals timeless millennial hairstyles that reflect a changing culture and world.
In 1996, this series was first exhibited at the Goethe Institute.
J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere (1930-2014)
Oluweri Hairddress, 1972-2001
Estimate: 6 000 / 9 000 €
