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Anthony Ayodele Obayomi: Give Us This Day

3 July 2021 – 28 August 2021

The Photoforum presents, in partnership with the Taurus Foundation for Arts and Sciences and the Biel/Bienne Festival of Photography, the exhibition Give Us This Day by Nigerian artist Anthony Ayodele Obayomi (*1994), laureate of the 2019 Taurus Prize for Visual Arts.

His work explores the commodification of hope through the prism of lotteries and churches of different faiths in Lagos Mainland. He examines their many similarities, from their organisational structures to their social impact and psychological functions for those who long to improve their current situation.

Hope is a commodity that sells extremely well in the less privileged areas of Lagos, according to the artist, who is witness to the daily hardships of the population of Lagos Mainland (the mainland part of Nigeria’s economic capital). His project explores two of the psychological mechanisms that the inhabitants use to cope with very difficult living conditions. While lottery and religious fanaticism co-exist in many parts of the world, they do not necessarily go hand in hand. In Lagos Mainland, however, the two practices are similar in structure, effect and function, and serve the same needs. Selling hope at low prices and exploiting the perspective of a better future is the spring and the financial manna on which Nigerian gambling companies and religious institutions rely.

Unlike in Switzerland, buying a lottery ticket in Nigeria is not a hobby investment. Due to non-functioning labour markets, a lack of social structures and generally difficult living conditions, the purchase of a ticket can fundamentally alter the course of the day and decide whether there is a meal on the table in the evening. While most players know they will not win, a lottery ticket is still a ‘cheap’ investment in the possibility of a better life, and a permission to daydream. It is thus no surprise that the lottery industry in Nigeria has become a multi-billion enterprise that brings about 10 billion naira (around CHF 22 million) into the state coffers every year. Premier Lotto, also known as ‘Baba Ijebu’, is the largest gaming company in Nigeria. Based in Lagos Mainland, it has about 200 agents leading a team of 16,000 salespeople across the West.

Meanwhile, hope is also reflected in the behaviour of churchgoers. Much like the lottery, religious institu- tions are booming, and they heavily rely on individual donations. According to Forbes magazine, four of the ten richest priests in the world, with a combined wealth of USD 249,000,000 are based in Lagos.

Give Us This Day explores some of the practices that offer, at a relatively low cost, a reason to believe in a better future, even when everything seems to point to the contrary. His expressive photographs document seemingly banal everyday situations: passers-by in brightly patterned clothing, gatherings of believers, ubiquitous lottery booths and churches. They highlight troubling parallels in the gestures of betting and praying, and in the gatherings around churches and lotteries alike, and bring attention to how ingrained into the social fabric of Lagos Mainland they are. In the exhibition, the images are brought into constant dialogue with each other, reflecting social imbalance, symbolising the effort to change and showing us different forms of coping mechanisms.