Last year Nigeria suffered massive flooding that displaced over 1.4 million people, injured and killed thousands, and wiped out homes and livelihoods. Photographer Gideon Mendel travelled to Nigeria after the flooding had supposedly receded, only to find entire communities still underwater. The resulting photographs are heartbreaking, but also beautiful.
Gideon Mendel has a long history of using photography to raise awareness of social issues. He photographed the end of apartheid in South Africa and the impact of HIV/AIDS in the UK in the 90s. Now, he uses his camera to advocate against climate change through the ongoing advocacy project, Drowning World. The Nigerian photographs are part of this project, and are currently on display in London in an exhibition called Fire / Flood. It just so happens that I will be in London in the near future, so hopefully I can take some time to see them in person. They really are stunningly beautiful as photographs. If only the stories they told weren’t so devastating.
Suggestions for artists I should check out? Please contact me with your ideas. I hope you enjoyed your daily helping of art!
