Inside Adebayo Jolaoso’s Exhibition Solo “As We Are And A Little Bit More”

Renowned Lagos artist and photographer, Adebayo Jolaoso, whose work is distinguished by striking visual storytelling, has recently held an exhibition at the Nomadic Art Gallery in Lagos.  “As We Are” and “A Little Bit More,” constitutes a compelling body of work that interrogates and reinterprets the contemporary cultural and fashion landscape of Lagos. Through a contemplative and highly stylised visual language, Jolaoso positions photography not merely as documentation, but as an artistic inquiry: one that captures the tension, fluidity, and evolving identity of a city at the intersection of tradition and modernity. 

His work offers a distinct authorial perspective on Lagos’ dynamic creative ecosystem, foregrounding form, texture, and the presence of Black subjects with intentionality and nuance. In doing so, Jolaoso contributes meaningfully to contemporary visual discourse, expanding how African fashion, identity, and urban life are seen, understood, and archived within a global artistic context. 

At the heart of this exhibition lies an attention to presence. Jolaoso’s camera becomes a tool for witnessing, capturing the in-between moments backstage, where fashion is assembled before it meets the public eye. The images dwell in these spaces of preparation, pause, joy, fatigue, anticipation, and quiet focus, allowing the subjects to appear unposed and unretouched, inhabiting themselves rather than performing for the frame.

This approach to authenticity is a testament to Jolaoso’s keen eye and his ability to notice the subtle choreography of labour, intimacy, and creativity that permeate Lagos’ fashion world. The work insists on multiplicity, reflecting a cultural environment defined not by a single aesthetic but by layered expressions of excellence, improvisation, resilience, and style.

Alongside this artistic impulse, the series “A Little Bit More” introduces a quieter, yet equally generative thread. Inspired by his nieces and nephews, Jolaoso leans  toward childhood as a distinct way of seeing, where surfaces invite intervention, images invite play, and the boundaries between object, body, and space remain fluid.

In collaboration with painter and long-time partner Adeibukun Adeniyi, Jolaoso’s photographs become sites of interaction, where meaning can be reimagined, disrupted, and rediscovered. The artist’s playful approach echoes the uninhibited creativity of children, transforming the photographic medium into a shared space of wonder, imagination, and dialogue between mediums.

Jolaoso’s artistic practice is characterised by a delicate balance between discipline and freedom, professionalism and play. This tension feels particularly resonant in the context of Lagos, a city defined by movement, contradiction, invention, and relentless becoming.

Through “As We Are” and “A Little Bit More,” Jolaoso invites viewers to look closely, to encounter themselves not only through what is performed or produced, but through the quieter act of simply existing: present, complex, and continually becoming. The artist’s work stands as a testament to the power of art to capture the nuances of human experience, inviting us to engage with the world in a more profound and meaningful way.