In Esiebo's stunning photos of West African barbershops, the viewer sees the relationship between barber and client, the care barbers take in their work, and above all their pride.
London - A young man, a barber, sits in a small room next to a whirring fan, hands clasped over one knee with faint smile playing on his lips as he looks into the camera. The walls behind him are concealed by a patchwork of posters of American rappers, football teams and even Barack Obama. Conspicuously in view too are headshots taken from all angles showing a plethora of haircuts and styles.
This portrait, 'The Barbers, Bamako no. 6', was taken by Nigerian photographer and Black Box collective member, Andrew Esiebo, and forms one part of his exhibition at Tiwani Contemporary in London titled 'Pride', a photographic exploration of relationships and identity through barbershops across Bamako, Accra, Dakar, Monrovia, Abidjan and Cotonou.
The Barbers, Bamako no.6.
Throughout the work on display, Esiebo draws out the components - both physical and social - that make up a barbershop, ranging from close-up shots of equipment to an interactive installation in the gallery space that has a full set-up of an barbershop interior, complete with blaring pop music, linoleum floors, and Janet Jackson pin-ups.
'Pride' is certainly a powerful title for this exhibition - Esiebo asked his subjects to 'sit proud' for their portraits - but it is also refreshingly unassuming when considering the complexity present in the series of scenes that greet the viewer, addressing identity, society, space and multifarious human relationships.
To see a barbershop through Esiebo's lens is to see the space as deeply connected to the barber himself, as a practitioner but also as a man.
Through the melange of images and figures it becomes apparent that these spaces are the extensions and projections of the owner's values and passions.
In 'Barbers, Accra no.7', the owner's love of football is resplendent, manifesting itself in chic black and white checked patterning on the walls and in the seating and decor.
Elsewhere the posters and photographs of Barack Obama, 50 Cent, Ludacris and religious figures that feature on the walls of many of the shops are aspirational figures: the subject of the proprietor's admiration.
For the client too, these are exciting spaces filled with the opportunity to associate with a space that espouses these shared values, combined with possibility; a haircut in a certain style offers an opportunity to express and define the self.
Urban Aesthetics, Cotonou no.6.
In addition to modern figures, religion is a recurring theme that appears throughout the barbers Esiebo introduces to the viewer.
Religion in particular is still expressed with traditional symbols and iconography. In this respect the barbershop is a melange of past and present.
In 'Nuances, Abidjan, no. 33', a man waits patiently, barefooted with one foot on the chair, holding his prayer beads while the barber finishes his work. His face is meditative and even distant - for him this could be a reclusive or safe space.
Esiebo has a wonderfully light touch in his composition, managing to draw in a number of ideas into simple spaces while allowing for them to speak for themselves.
It is clear from his work that he thinks deeply about seemingly straight forward things. Outside the brightly coloured Temi Tokpe Coiffure in 'Urban Aesthetics, Cotonou, no. 6', two men grasp each other's hands and a motorbike rushes by bringing together the sense of the street, its feel and energy.
This is also true of 'Urban Aesthetics, Abidjan no.6', which conveys that these vibrant, often small, spaces are a significant part of the fabric of the street.
Meanwhile, inside the shops, Esiebo's use of mirrors in his composition is inspired. The mirror, a staple of any barbershop, is first of all for work purposes, but it is also a means for a client and barber to maintain eye contact.
Esiebo also uses the mirror to produce small diptychs within the photograph. Often these are presented on prints that are 33.5cm by 50cm and serve to invite the viewer closer to pick out the details of the space, to read the faces of the men sitting in the chairs and examine the barber's equipment.
Nuances, Accra No. 7.
What makes Esiebo's compositions so exciting it how they allow him to bring out the character and significance of the barbershop as a centre of discussion. In a talk given at the gallery, Esiebo explained how the barbershop presents a space for men to frankly and discuss matters that they would otherwise avoid with their families and public.
Sociologist Jurgen Habermas coined the term 'public sphere' to describe the bourgeois settings of coffeehouses and salons in early 20th century Europe where "private people come together as a public" regardless of status to discuss and debate shared issues.
In many ways, the barbershops featured in 'Pride' could be seen as West Africa's coffeehouses of today, offering up inclusive places of gathering in which status does not matter and individuals can discuss common concerns.
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In one scene from the 'Nuances' series, we see men from all backgrounds and classes discussing polygamy.
Again Esiebo's employment of the mirrors in the composition lets the viewer see that all men in the room are focussed on the charged discussion between the two men in the barbers' chairs who face each other, eyes wide and jaws clenched.
Topics aside, what is clear throughout these carefully captured moments that the viewer is given privileged access to, is the relationship between practitioner and client, never losing sight of the level of care the practitioner takes in his work and, above all, the level of pride.
Urban Aesthetics, Accra No. 5.
'Pride' is running until 8 February at Tiwani Contemporary, 16 Little Portland St, London W1W 8BP. Open 11am to 6pm Tuesday to Friday and 12-5pm on Saturday. For more details see the gallery's website www.tiwani.co.uk or call 020 7631 3808.
James Bullock is a freelance journalist and researcher with a particular focus on sub-Saharan political development, post-colonial literature and West African music. He has been published in the Financial Times and Monocle magazine. You can contact him via his twitter.
