Artist, Akinbode Akinbiyi: My name is Akinbode Akinbiyi and you’re looking at the series started in 1982 called “Sea Never Dry.” It started out of a frustration of trying to take photographs around Lagos then. This was some 12 years after the Nigerian Civil War. There was a lot of negative energy, and especially for someone walking around with a camera in his hands. Quite a few times people were accosting me. When it got too much, I’d go to the beach.
The atmosphere was much more relaxed, of course. And in fact, photographers worked at the beach. Many people thought I was also a beach photographer. They would say to me, “Photographer, come and take.”
Most peoples in Nigeria are more land-bound people, so the sea is something special. People go to the beach to worship, to pray. Sometimes a few people trying to sell things. People swimming. Dogs fascinate me at the beach, but also signage.
The beach is called Bar Beach. It is now a building site. That stretch of beach has literally disappeared. Moments really are fleeting. That’s why I think photography can be very helpful, because it reminds you of what was. But I don’t consider myself a documentary photographer. I’m always listening in, listening to the story, to the narrative. My take on photography is that it’s very layered. So I’m hoping that you take time and try to read the images.