Nollywood: Pieter Hugo (photo gallery)

Junior Ofokansi, Chetachi Ofokansi, Mpompo Ofokansi, Enugu, Nigeria / 2008, Digital C-Print

The first time I blogged the work of South African photographer Pieter Hugo was back in 2005, when his "The Hyena and Other Men" series, featuring Nigerian street performers next to their feral companions, was just beginning to percolate through the internet.

Hugo has since focused his attention and his lens to Nollywood, the hub of Africa's cinema industry. Nollywood is said to be the world's third-largest center of moviemaking, next to Hollywood and Bollywood. The film production centers in the southern Nigerian cities of Enugu and Asaba, where Hugo shot the portraits in his series, crank out some 1,000 low-budget features each year.

Hugo's Nollywood series and the earlier Hyena series are now on display at Shoshana Wayne Gallery in Santa Monica, California, through May 29. The gallery has kindly provided Boing Boing with a preview of selected works.

You can purchase a book of Hugo's Nollywood images here. The book includes short fiction on the chaotic Nollywood filmmaking process by Chris Abani, and an essay by Zina Saro-Wiwa about the industry's explosive growth and what it means to Nigerians.

If you're interested in purchasing one of the nearly life-sized prints (they really are amazing to behold in person, at about 5 feet 6 inches tall and wide), contact Shoshana Wayne Gallery at [e-mail] or 310.453.7535.

Pieter Hugo: Nollywood (Shoshana Wayne Gallery)

Escort Kama, Enugu, Nigeria / 2008, Digital C-Print

Fidelis Elenwa, Enugu, Nigeria / 2009, Digital C-Print

Gabazzini Zuo, Enugu, Nigeria / 2008, Digital C-Print

Chris Nkulo and Patience Umeh, Enugu, Nigeria / 2008, Digital C-Print

• [Anonymous]

  WOW…!

• [Anonymous]

  Reminds me of the sculpture of the South African artist Jane Alexander. http://www.artthrob.co.za/99july/artbio.htm

• [Anonymous]

  Instead of looking at pictures, resist the war with Iran. -ChristianPeper

• [Cinema Suicide]

  Gotta tell ya, these photos are far more interesting than movies out of Nollywood. There’s a great documentary going around right now called Welcome To Nollywood that’s all about that industry and it’s amazing! I ran a review of it at my site a while back. Check it out: http://www.cinema-suicide.com/2008/08/18/west-african-video-boomtown-welcome-to-nollywood/

• [watman]

  More about the book at BOOK Southern Africa: http://news.book.co.za/blog/2009/12/23/pieter-hugos-new-work-nollywood/

• [nicboshart]

  Also, there’s a rad documentary from the NFB called Nollywood Babylon about the Nigerian film industry. It’s very good.
  http://films.nfb.ca/nollywood-babylon/

• [JBL]

  Reggae Boys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arjzxZBiJ74

  Quite insane…or at least at a different pace to our western trailers.

• [Anonymous]

  Recent Frieze review of Hugo’s Nollywood pictures –
  http://www.frieze.com/issue/review/pieter_hugo

• [Anonymous]

  Very realistic, to me it seems like they are really there.

• [Xeni Jardin]

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMNry4PE93Y

• [Antinous / Moderator]

  I’m shocked that you didn’t feature the guy in the Darth Vader helmet. And nothing else.

• [Matt Powell]

  Is it just me, or does anyone else see that first photo and think “Shaggy’s little boys look just like Shaggy / And my little boy looks just like daddy”?

• [Patrick Austin]

  I bet those kids like turtles.

• [Anonymous]

  Beautiful, clear images. So much to see in each one. This, to me, is what the camera was made for. Stills with so much action behind and possible.

  Only after a look at all of them, though, I see suits, makeup, masks; anything and everything worn but all of them are without shoes.