In September 2023, Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński (b. 1980, Vienna) arrived in Lagos to begin her research-focused residency at Yinka Shonibare’s Guest Artist Space (G.A.S.) Foundation after being awarded the inaugural Access ART X Prize (Diaspora). This residency marked a significant moment in her artistic practice, as Lagos’s vibrant, kinetic energy brought Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński closer to the traditions of Yoruba cosmology and language as well as West African studio photography.
In its first iteration, Irè (Blessings)—was curated by Nigerian artist, curator, and researcher Jumoke Sanwo and showcased at the 2023 edition of ART X Lagos, one of Africa’s leading art fairs. This exhibition expanded Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński’s practice beyond the studio, immersing her in the Yoruba cosmology of Ifá divination, a foundational aspect of the Ìṣẹ̀ṣẹ traditional practice. Guided by her mentor, Prof. Jelili Atiku—a multidisciplinary artist and practitioner of Ìṣẹ̀ṣẹ—Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński engaged deeply with the teachings of Odù Ọ̀wọ́nrín Ogbè, one of the 256 Odù verses in Ifá and developed her photographic self-portraits on its foundation. Prof. Atiku describes the verse as a holistic system that embraces the Yoruba worldview’s metaphysical and physical realms. Odù Ọ̀wọ́nrín Ogbè emphasizes principles such as orí tútù (a calm head) and Ìwà pẹ̀lẹ́ (a balanced character), underscoring the importance of ancestral guidance as a path to harmonizing energies. These principles become apparent in Kazeem-Kamiński’s works such as Orí mi (ní irántí J. D. Ojeikere) (My head. A Homage to J.D. Ojeikere), 2023, and Ìwà pẹ̀lẹ́ (Balanced Character), 2023.
One year later, the artist reflects on her journey of return and renewal in Irè T’ónlọ Lọ́wọ́ (Blessings, ongoing)—showcasing analog and digital photographs that explore her use of photography as a tool for reconnecting with residual memory. Taking cues from the representation of family in West African Studio Photography of the 60s and 70s, Kazeem-Kamiński created Ìyá, Bàbá àti Èmi (Mother, Father, and Me), 2024, a self-portrait in which the artist inhabits the roles of mother, father, and child, while incorporating Yoruba symbolism and everyday objects.
Through time spent in the darkroom of legendary Nigerian photographer J.D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere—where she expanded her experience with analog techniques under the guidance of his son, Amaize Ojeikere—to early morning sessions with her medium-format camera, each moment infused her work with the layered spirit of Lagos. Everyday experiences, from car rides across the bustling Third Mainland Bridge to quiet reflections in hidden city corners, and even the simple pleasure of savoring freshly boiled groundnuts, became sources of spiritual, ancestral, and artistic inspiration.
Presented in a setting reminiscent of a West African studio space, Irè T’ónlọ Lọ́wọ́ (Blessings, ongoing) features parts of her creative process, including elements of a West African studio darkroom, a research wall that contextualizes her research, and a curated playlist of selected tunes that guided her throughout the process. Woven from an interplay of movement, stillness, tradition, and innovation, this body of work stands as a testament to Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński’s profound encounter with what Okwui Enwezor refers to as “the routes and roots” of life, embracing both the blessings of the past and the promise of new beginnings.
Jumoke Sanwo, 2024
Artist-Curator, and Researcher.
