Akinbode Akinbiyi turns everyday african life into art

At 80, Nigerian-born photographer Akinbode Akinbiyi continues to document the changing face of Africa and its global diaspora through a quiet, deeply personal approach to photography.

Born in Oxford to Nigerian parents and raised partly in Lagos, Akinbiyi picked up a camera in 1972 and taught himself photography. His work has taken him through major African cities including Lagos, Kinshasa, Cairo, Dakar and Johannesburg, as well as Berlin, where he has lived since the 1990s.

Akinbiyi says his practice is built around walking, wandering and moving slowly, allowing him to observe everyday moments and find images with a narrative.

“Photography is very much part of my life,” he says, describing a daily routine in which photography is woven into his life.

His work is currently being showcased at the Venice Biennale and across Berlin, including the House of World Cultures. He is also featured in the São Paulo Biennale, curated by Bonaventure Ndikung.

Ndikung describes Akinbiyi’s approach as a form of “listening practice” that draws attention away from spectacle and towards ordinary life.

Using a vintage camera, Akinbiyi shoots around 500 rolls of film each year, publishing fewer than 10 percent of his images. His photographs invite audiences to look again at the seemingly unspectacular moments of everyday life.