ETINOSA YVONNE, WINNER OF THE ACCESS BANK ART X PRIZE 2019, PRESENTS 'IT’S ALL IN MY HEAD', A SOLO EXHIBITION AT ART X LAGOS 2021
Words by The ART X Editorial Team
October 2021
Etinosa Yvonne is a documentary photographer and visual artist whose works primarily focus on exploring and expressing themes related to the human condition and social injustice through various art forms including photos and videos.
In her career, Etinosa Yvonne has emerged as the 2019 Winner of the Access Bank ART X Prize, and one of six visual storytellers selected for the 2020 cycle of the World Press Photo 6x6 Global Talent Program in Africa.
She has received grants from Women Photograph and National Geographic in partnership with Lagos Photo, as well as an award from the Royal Photographic Society for It’s All In My Head, which will be presented at the sixth edition of ART X Lagos at The Federal Palace.
In her career, Etinosa Yvonne has emerged as the 2019 Winner of the Access Bank ART X Prize, and one of six visual storytellers selected for the 2020 cycle of the World Press Photo 6x6 Global Talent Program in Africa.
She has received grants from Women Photograph and National Geographic in partnership with Lagos Photo, as well as an award from the Royal Photographic Society for It’s All In My Head, which will be presented at the sixth edition of ART X Lagos at The Federal Palace.
It’s All In My Head is a research-based multimedia project that explores the coping mechanisms of survivors of terrorism and extreme instances of conflict and cruelty in Nigeria. Through research, conversations and portrait photography layered with text, Etinosa Yvonne creates installations that explore the impact of such assaults on the mental health of survivors. This exhibition presents these layered portraits as holograms as a way to make the survivors “physically” present in the space, employing sound to bring their stories to life.
Etinosa spent time in Cross River State, Nigeria, where witch branding is rampant, conducting her research in collaboration with the Basic Rights Counsel Initiative (BRCI), a local non-profit organisation. Her findings suggest that it is typically vulnerable people, including children and the elderly, who are targeted in witch hunts. To a large extent, socio-economic factors and religious beliefs have allowed this disturbing practice to thrive. Conducting this research awakened some disturbing memories from the artist’s own childhood, when her lack of conformity sometimes led people to wonder if she, too, was a witch.
Etinosa spent time in Cross River State, Nigeria, where witch branding is rampant, conducting her research in collaboration with the Basic Rights Counsel Initiative (BRCI), a local non-profit organisation. Her findings suggest that it is typically vulnerable people, including children and the elderly, who are targeted in witch hunts. To a large extent, socio-economic factors and religious beliefs have allowed this disturbing practice to thrive. Conducting this research awakened some disturbing memories from the artist’s own childhood, when her lack of conformity sometimes led people to wonder if she, too, was a witch.
Little priority is given to assessing the mental health of the survivors of Nigeria’s constant grapples with varying degrees of extremism, terrorism and violent conflict, and the resulting trauma from these events. Consequently, many survivors struggle with depression, PTSD and a preoccupation with revenge, while others seek solace in their basic existence and religion. With all this in mind, Etinosa began work on It’s All In My Head to draw the attention to the state of mind of many survivors.
We invite you to see ‘It’s All In My Head’ which will be presented at the sixth edition of ART X Lagos at the Federal Palace, Lagos from 4 - 7 November.
We invite you to see ‘It’s All In My Head’ which will be presented at the sixth edition of ART X Lagos at the Federal Palace, Lagos from 4 - 7 November.