A Photographic Life - 202: Plus Àsìkò

In episode 201 UNP founder and curator Grant Scott is in his shed reflecting on Stephen Shore's most recent book, the Ukraine #PhotoPrint Day, Giles Duley's 'No More War' and the impact images of conflict have upon us. Plus this week photographer Àsìkò takes on the challenge of supplying Grant with an audio file no longer than 5 minutes in length in which he answer’s the question ‘What Does Photography Mean to You?’ Àsìkò was born in London and spent his formative years in Nigeria. He is now based in London, working as Àsìkò, the Nigerian word for 'the moment'. He describes himself as a visual artist who expresses his ideas through the medium of photography and mixed media. His work is constructed in the narrative that straddles between fantasy and reality as a response to his experiences of identity, culture and heritage. Each series explores the limits of femininity and masculinity, spirituality and beauty and our relationship with nature and understanding a sense of self in the world we live in. Àsìkò’s visual aesthetic comes with adornment and choreographed movement, juxtaposed with atmospheric locations, symbolism and a distinct seductive charge. His images have been widely exhibited in the USA, France, Nigeria, Norway and the UK, reported on by CNN Africa and the BBC and published in titles including Afropunk, The Guardian, Schon Magazine, 125 Magazine, Blanck Mag, and Pride. www.asiko.co.uk Dr. Grant Scott is the founder/curator of United Nations of Photography, a Senior Lecturer and Subject Co-ordinator: Photography at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, a working photographer, documentary filmmaker, BBC Radio contributor and the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Routledge 2014), The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Routledge 2015), New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography (Routledge 2019). Grant’s book What Does Photography Mean to You? including 89 photographers who have contributed to the A Photographic Life podcast is on sale now £9.99 https://bluecoatpress.co.uk/product/what-does-photography-mean-to-you/ © Grant Scott 2022