Nollywood Portraits: A Radical Beauty

Museum of Contemporary Photography

About The Event

Starting in the early 1990s, Nollywood has quickly gained worldwide relevance as the world’s second most prolific film industry (almost 2,000 titles released annually) ahead of Hollywood and behind Bollywood with revenues topping $600 million annually. 

In October 2014, artist Iké Udé returned to Lagos, Nigeria, after three decades away, and took photographs of 64 Nollywood personalities. Udé has also created a grand group portrait of all 64 subjects, The School of Nollywood, inspired by Raphael’s The School of Athens, 1509. Like The School of Athens, The School of Nollywood  measures  16 ft 5 in x 25 ft 3 in  (500 cm x 770 cm).

 

Image credit: Iké Udé, Kunle Afolayan, 2014-2016