Video art | The Cowboys are actually sad

Do you see the ships? They are reminiscent of exploitation and colonization. Photo: Karimah Ashadu The camera focuses on the young men's bodies and fast-moving hands in Lagos, Nigeria, as they do their strenuous work: They wash construction trucks and minibuses. The latter are used as passenger taxis. Most motor vehicles are white, with the black bodies and limbs standing out in contrast. Using copious amounts of soap, the workers scrub the car bodies from top to bottom and spray them down with the hose. Everything is happening at a great pace. Even the tires are not left out; the workers also clean the interior and engine compartments from dust and sand.

Their muscular bodies, sunglasses and motorcycles can only superficially conceal the class situation.

Karimah Ashadu, born in London in 1985, is an internationally sought-after artist and her works with a strong documentary character are shown in solo and group exhibitions not only in Europe, but also in Africa, Asia and the USA. Based in both London and Lagos, she works primarily in the medium of film. She presents videos as multi-channel installations, as is currently the case in the monographic exhibition “Chrystalline” at the Kestner Society in Hanover.

Two newer two-channel projections can be viewed there. The motifs described at the beginning come from the work “Waves”. The video of the men washing the car is accompanied by a second projection with images of the ocean surf. Here the force of nature, there the constantly working men. As the almost 30-minute film continues, it becomes clear that both scenes are only separated by rocks. The car wash is located on the headland that was reclaimed from the sea by filling it up. Some shots reveal concrete buildings that are being built in the background. There, in the immensely growing megacity of Lagos with a guaranteed 16 million inhabitants and an estimated 21 to 24 million in the outskirts, a new development district for the wealthy is being built in front of the eyes of the car washers. In contrast, the men from rural and poor regions who work here have come to Lagos to seek their fortune.

They live more or less illegally in self-made accommodation on the streets, are constantly threatened with eviction and are subject to blackmail by security forces. The individual workers, who can be seen in photo portraits in the installation in addition to the video, talk about their dreams in a voiceover. Some would like to build a secure existence, perhaps their own car wash, while others hope to move up in society through training or even studying. They send money to their parents in the countryside, but also want to start families themselves. These are male ideas in a patriarchal society that are particularly valid even in the lowest classes. In many of her works, Karimah Ashadu deals with the traditional idea of ​​masculinity, in which physical strength and financial responsibility have a defining importance for the family.

At the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024, her film “Machine Boys” about the illegal motorcycle taxis in Lagos was awarded a Silver Lion. In Nigeria, this forbidden informal economy is known as “Okada,” after a former Nigerian airline. It is dangerous for the drivers and the users, as both risk imprisonment if they are caught. The physical strength of the motorcyclists and their desire for autonomy collide with the conditions of exploitation to which they, coming from the poor, are exposed. Their masculine codes, their muscular bodies, sunglasses and their motorcycles can only superficially hide class relations.

The second video installation “Cowboy” at the Kestner Society portrays a man who owns several horses. He is shown interacting tenderly with them. The camera follows him as he rides through the landscape, while he explains in voiceover that his passion for horses has taken him to many countries and other continents. He feels proud, independent and free. As he reaches the sea on his horse, transport ships can be seen on the horizon. Now the cowboy reminds us of colonization, the slave trade and migration - and shows how present history is to him.

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