Ade(to)juwon is a young photographer from Lagos, building his pace and portfolio slowly, but with clear intention. With recent features on i-D and a campaign for Alara Homegrown, his work is already finding its way into the right spaces.
He’s part of a new wave of image-makers who treat photography as something personal, creative, and rooted in archival instinct. The kind of work that doesn’t just capture moments, but tells a story.
Before the world fully catches on, we’re spotlighting a talent that’s been on our radar. Fresh off his first exhibition in Lagos, Wake Up, held at Angels & Muse Art Studio, where he showed alongside a new generation of visual artists, we stepped into his mind.
In this conversation, he reflects on what photography really means to him, beyond career or aesthetics, and how he’s carving out his place within visual arts.
Q: You just had your first exhibition. What does this moment feel like for you, both creatively and personally?
Thank you so much. I am grateful. It feels very fulfilling both creatively and personally, it feels like I am doing something good and heading in the right direction with everything I plan to do. The most fulfilling part from this was knowing I can make work that can live longer than me and people take me serious as an artist.
Q: How did the group exhibition come together, and what does the name “Wake Up” represent to you and the other artists?
My good friend Awele messaged sometime very early in the year asking if I would like to show my works one day and if that’s something I’d want to do and for me from the jump, being in an exhibition as always been a no brainer for me so I said yes. That was basically it. She reached out to the other artists over time
Wake Up to me is being given a chance to be heard and to be taken serious by people in the Art world. Young artists being heard, I am grateful for that #gratefulguy #greatguy.
Q: Was there a particular reaction or moment from the exhibition that stayed with you?
Not one particular moment, the fact the amount of people that showed up for it actually showed up is really a blessing to be very honest. I sound fake deep but I’m genuinely just a grateful guy lmao.
Q: Let’s start simple. What’s your full name, and where are you from?
My name is Adejuwon Adeniyi. I am from Lagos,Nigeria; born and bred.
Q: Your name, Ade(to)juwon, is quite unique, why did you decide to use it that way?
I have an aunt that used to call me that every time she saw me and it kept ringing in my head after sometime. It felt very indigenous and true to me, and when my actual name is translated to English, it felt very personal as well. I just love how indigenous it is.
Q: What did you study in school? And are you now fully leaning into photography?
I studied Information Science and Media Studies in school, Yes I am fully leaning into photography now. I am planning on expanding into filmmaking properly as well, I am thinking and working on that, just one step at a time.
Q: When did photography become something you took seriously and to learn?
Photography became something very serious for me since I picked up the small digital camera. I got into fashion first and then I fell in love with fashion images and then found out about different fashion photographers behind these images and saw how these images can transcend from just the fashion space. It then had me thinking about all the photo albums at my family house and how everything was archived and documented. I then realized how important photography is to fundamental human life. It is because of photography I know what my great grandfather even looks like; I know what my mother looked like as a young girl. It is so essential and it has been serious for me since I started doing it. However, before photography, I was trying my hand at other creative things. In secondary school, I tried to do music and even downloaded FL Studio. After that I did a short graphic design course and did graphic design then later I tried to get into styling, this was when I started paying attention to fashion properly.
Q: Are you consciously trying to document your own generation in that same way?
I definitely am. I think I want them to be remembered as well and live longer than their physical bodies
Q: Do you remember the first photo you took that felt like “I want to do more of this”? What about it stood out?
There’s actually not one picture that made me feel like that, I think the more I took pictures, the more I would go study and learn more and take more pictures. I think with every picture I took I could see there was room to get better if I expanded my knowledge. I think one of my favorite things about life is how no one knows it all. It is a two edged statement depending on how you see life, you could be angry for not knowing a certain thing and then there’s someone who could accept that and want to learn more. I try to be like the latter.
Q: What usually makes you stop and take a photo? What are you drawn to?
Okay, I like this question because sometimes I ask that to myself sometimes. It is definitely Composition, Color, Uniformity, Vulnerability , and Joy. It changes depending on what exactly I am photographing.
Q: What do you notice in everyday life that other people tend to overlook?
I think it is Sonder. Once people realize every single person they are speaking to is also going through whatever they are going through in their way, It helps you look at life from a different perspective.
Q: How would you describe your style without using technical photography terms?
I don’t know if I can necessarily classify it into a style, maybe because I don’t have the words for it yet. It is just colorful.
Q: Do you feel like you’ve found your visual identity yet, or are you still exploring?
I am still exploring but I know what I’d like to lean into which is West African imagery.
Q: What does West African imagery mean to you, beyond aesthetics?
It means to me documentation. Documentation of what west africa should look like and not conforming to western stereotypes.Not everything has to be beautiful according to the western standards
Q: What kind of images or art inspire you outside of photography?
All kinds of images and art influence me. I want to learn and know more.
Q: Who are some creatives or photographers that have influenced how you think and create?
There are quite a few; Andrew Dosunmu, Tyler Mitchell, Deana Lawson, Ousmane Sembene, Stephen Tayo, Seydou Keita, Gordon Parks, Arthur Jafa, Ruth Ossai, Malick Sidibe, Rei Kawakubo, Wales Bonner. This list is actually infinite. I can’t lie, my peers influence me a lot as well. The best free thinking people I know.
Q: What has been the most challenging part of your growth so far?
Someone like me , that tends to overthink almost everything, I think one is when I want to do something and nothing is necessarily coming to mind. I feel stuck.
Q: Have you ever doubted your eye or your direction? How did you deal with that?
I have second guessed myself sometimes but that’s not necessarily out of doubt but more so cause I know it could be done better. There’s always room for improvement.
Q: You’ve done a series of photo drops with your friends. What was behind that? Was it just you experimenting, or was there something deeper you were trying?
It’s just always fun shooting with friends, these are the first people that are vulnerable with me in front of my camera. I was just shooting and having my friends come as themselves.
Q: How important has that support and openness from your friends been to your growth as a photographer?
It has been super important to me. Friends and family being very upfront with me about the work has been very helpful to me.
Q: How important is equipment to you? Do you think a strong eye can work with anything?
I believe a strong eye can work with anything. People can shoot with different equipment but what makes the equipment powerful is the person holding the equipment. (This feels like a line from a marvel movie LMAO ). People like Moriyama who use nothing but a point and shoot and have been doing it for years are known for their work.
Q: What kind of work are you trying to add to your portfolio in the next year, and why?
More fashion work, for sure. More passion projects as well. I just want to see how much I can grow and also see how one world intersects the other; the fashion and the artistic world.
Q: What’s your favorite shot/work so far if any?
Everything I have ever shot is my own favorite work cause but I do know that my best work is yet to come though.
Q: Do you feel like you’re close to that, or still far from it?
I don’t know that actually to be very honest. I don’t want to jinx it
Q: Asides photography, what other things do you find interesting/do?
I am really into arts and designs; paintings, architecture (I really like brutalist architecture especially African brutalism), sculptures, installations and things like that . I love watching movies and cartoons ( woke up and the first thing I did was watch new invincible). I love music, obviously but what I love the most in music is sampling/ interpolation. When I hear a good sample and I know where the sample is from almost immediately, I feel like the best detective alive.
Q: What kind of work do you want to be known for in the long run?
As a person, I want to be known as a selfless person. For my work, I just want it to live longer than me .
Q: If everything goes right, where do you see photography taking you?
Many more exhibitions(at home and outside the country), billboards, covers, campaigns, films. Anything I can do when it all works out, I will to the best of my abilities.