A-ARTs: Silhouette path through Makidamaker's lens

'Veiled Fracture' (photography) by Makidamaker

By Tajudeen Sowole

ACROSS three generations of Nigerian photographers, iconic individuals such as JA Green (1973-1905), and postcolonial 1960s-1990s/2000s such as Peter Obe, JD Okhai Ojeikere, Tam Fiofori and 21st century masters like Kelechi Amadi-Obi, George Osodi, among others have boosted the mastery of the lens art.

In search of the next generation of Nigerian photo artists with potential for mastery of the lens art, the digital space of internet provides a lead. From quite a number of links, including those of Nigerian photographers at home and the diaspora, it appears that more photo artists are shifting from portrait contents. Rightly so as portraits offer less creative challenges compared to creating conceptual contents, which strengthens professionalism of the lens art.

As much the desire to be on the path of future masters is noble, some of the emerging artists are much in a hurry to attain the master status. One of such new generation Nigerian photo artists whose works of conceptual textures stray into one’s search is Ifeoluwa Emmanuel Makinde, who is professionally known as Makidamaker. For the artist, photography is a medium for the study of the environment and human relation with nature, as seen in some of his works, rendered in either black and white or colour.

In silhouetted textures, Makidamaker creates two pieces that bring analogous perspective through which people relates to nature, faith and unforeseen situations as well as unknown challenges of life. One of the pieces he titles 'Within' emits view of someone who sees the outside world from a darkroom as the composite mates darkened interior against an aerial view of an expansive exterior. The contrast between the spot of the viewer and the brightened distance explains visual metaphor that exists in expectation and the entrapment of the subsisting situation.

Like a suspense scene in a movie, Makidamaker’s 'Within' offers no escape route as the world outside the darkened room window appears attractive, but yet unreachable. The silhouetted technique as well as the composition of the entire image, interestingly, creates duality of life; aesthetics, beauty against the unpleasant challenges of living and surviving.

In creating conceptual piece, young and emerging photo artists often fall into the complexity of over simplifying creativity. When masters, and other renowned artists in the genres of painting, sculpture and photography create works of simplified style and techniques, they don’t generate any suspicion about escapism. Reason: their signatures have been proven overtime. For young and emerging artists, it becomes complex, perhaps with doubt of strong creative energy when they oversimplify their theme.

Probing into Makidamaker’s energy of creativity leads one to another work of he titles 'Veiled Fracture'. Again, the artist’s passion for silhouetted black and white comes into the capture of another piece that escalates his over simplified creative contents. Most prominent in the 'Veiled Fracture' is the shadow of an obscured object, framed by the creative skills of the artist’s slanted and brightened background. His skills of creating an illusion of three dimensional visual concept is perhaps the aesthetics strength of the work.

As much as Makidamaker has the great potential of being on the path of master of photography, he appears to be so much in a haste, so suggests some of his works that radiate little conceptual efforts. However, the fact that his work, as photography, is not boxed into portraiture like most young photo artist, at least, gives him a broader window of great prospect.

Makidamaker’s bio describes him as “fine art photographer and filmmaker,” whose. work coalesces visual poetry with emotional realism. He explores identity, memory, and transformation through the languages of photography and film. Guided by a fascination with the human condition, he turns ordinary moments into reflective, symbolic, and deeply personal narratives.

Line, light through digital brushings-of Oseh