Ayo Akingbade: Show Me The World Mister

18 Nov 2023-14 Apr 2024

Overview

Two new film commissions,The Fist and Faluyi (2022), both shot on location in Nigeria, are built upon Akingbade’s interest in history, place-making, legacy and power.

The Fist is a study of the first Guinness brewery built outside of Ireland and the UK, located on the outskirts of Lagos. Completed in 1962, in the wake of Nigeria’s independence from Britain, it is a place where histories of industrialisation and labour collide. Shot on 35 mm, the film follows the comings and goings of workers and their tasks on the assembly and packing lines. Akingbade draws attention to the deep-rooted politics embedded in the production of this popular drink.

Faluyi follows the protagonist, Ife on a journey tracing familial legacy and mysticism in ancestral lands. Shot on 16 mm in the Idanre Hills – a UNESCO World Heritage site in Ondo State, the birthplace of Akingbade’s parents – the film explores the artist’s personal relationship with Nigeria. Panoramic views of bouldering hills surrounded by dense woodland form the backdrop to this sensitive tale of longing and loss, which eventually turns to hope and celebration. The two films are presented in the gallery divided by a strcture made of aluminium, steel and polycarbonate that resembles the infrastructure of the Guinness factory itself.

Artists