Why the Ojeikere Exhibition at ART X Lagos Deserves Your Attention

From November 6 – 9, 2025, ART X Lagos celebrates its tenth anniversary. One exhibition stands at the heart of the milestone fair, “An Exacting Eye,” a landmark showcase dedicated to the legendary Nigerian photographer J.D. ’Okhai Ojeikere.

For over six decades, Ojeikere chronicled Nigeria with precision and quiet reverence. His work captured the grace of everyday life, from intricate hairstyles to urban architecture, transforming ordinary moments into enduring symbols of African modernity.

At ART X Lagos 10X, his images return home in an expansive survey that celebrates both the man and his method, a testament to how art preserves the essence of who we are.

A Legacy in Focus

J.D. ’Okhai Ojeikere. Portrait by Amaize Ojeikere. Courtesy of ART X Lagos.

Born in 1930 in Ovbiomu-Emai, Edo State, J.D. ’Okhai Ojeikere began photographing in the 1950s, documenting a young nation on the cusp of independence. His lens was meticulous; his subjects were often ordinary people rendered extraordinary through light and composition.

His most acclaimed series, Hairstyles, remains a visual lexicon of Nigerian identity, hundreds of portraits revealing the sculptural beauty of hair as both personal and political expression. Each braid, twist, and knot became a marker of cultural sophistication, mirroring the evolving confidence of postcolonial Nigeria.

At a time when Africa was largely seen through an external gaze, Ojeikere redefined modern African aesthetics from within. His discipline, elegance, and technical mastery established a new visual language, one that continues to influence artists and photographers across the continent and diaspora.

Beyond the Archive

JD Okhai Ojeikere, Nigerian Culture Series, Portrait of Maiden Dancers, 1974. Courtesy of ART X Lagos

An Exacting Eye doesn’t just look backwards; it builds bridges forward. Alongside the retrospective, The Masterclass, led by Ojeikere’s son, Amaize Ojeikere, will mentor ten emerging Nigerian photographers in Lagos. Participants will engage directly with his father’s legacy, exploring form, repetition, and identity through guided workshops. Selected artists will later receive production grants and public showcases, ensuring Ojeikere’s influence continues to evolve through new eyes.

Interested photographers are invited to visit the website to review full details and apply before Wednesday, 29 October 2025, at 11:59 PM WAT.

This forward-facing approach captures the spirit of ART X Lagos itself; a fair that refuses nostalgia, instead treating heritage as a foundation for innovation. It’s this living dialogue between generations that makes the exhibition unmissable.

Photography as Cultural Memory

JD Okhai Ojeikere, courtesy of ZODML.

Ojeikere’s genius lay in his restraint. While many photographers sought spectacle, he pursued structure. His portraits; crisp, composed, and deliberate, elevate African aesthetics to the level of architecture.

In doing so, he achieved something rare: he turned beauty into documentation and documentation into resistance. His work reminds us that visual culture is a form of authorship — that who frames the image determines whose story is told.

Seen today, within the global platform of ART X Lagos, Ojeikere’s archive feels prophetic. As African artists continue to shape global conversations about identity, representation, and belonging, his photographs remain a compass, grounding the present in the dignity of the past.

Caring about Ojeikere means caring about how we see ourselves and how future generations will remember us.

ART X ICON: “An Exacting Eye” will be on view from November 6–9, 2025 at the Federal Palace, Lagos, as part of ART X Lagos 10X. Tickets are available here.

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