The Journey: From Then To Now- Curating for Imago Lisboa 2025

Photo credit: Hugo David

Our Co-founder and Editorial Director, Anne Nwakalor, was invited to curate an exhibition for Imago Lisboa, a biennial photography festival that took place in Lisbon last month, October 2025. Here’s what she had to say about the experience:

I had the pleasure of curating The Journey: From Then Until Now for Imago Lisboa 2025. The exhibition explores colonialism, racism, and xenophobia, while also holding space for hope and liberation.

When I was invited to curate the show late last year, my mind began whirring immediately. I started asking myself: What kind of stories do I want to tell through this exhibition? Although I was given the festival’s overarching theme and creative freedom to interpret it, I wanted to build upon it collaboratively, letting the selected photographers’ work guide the narrative.

Photo credit: Hugo David

My research process began with deep dives across platforms such as Instagram, Visura, Diversify Photo, and, perhaps most naturally, No! Wahala Magazine. Since 2020, we’ve interviewed and featured many African photographers whose practices examine power, identity, and belonging. Revisiting our own archive felt like the perfect starting point.

I first selected Giya Makondo-Wills, a South African photographer whose project They Came from the Water While the World Watched examines colonialism and the demonisation of African spirituality. I knew instantly that her work should open the exhibition. Then came Tayo Adekunle, whose series of self-portraits critiques the historical fetishisation of Black women by Western photographers, her work sits powerfully within the story I wanted to tell.

Next, I included Obayomi Anthony, whose striking series Blue Letter explores the psychological toll of visa denials and the racism embedded within such systems. I envisioned his images suspended from the ceiling, looming above visitors and demanding attention.

Adïam Yemane’s work felt like the right note to conclude on. Her projects on migration and displacement- particularly across water- draw parallels to the transatlantic slave trade, tracing both suffering and resilience. Her contribution closes the show with a sense of hope and reflection.

Jono terry's Image. Photo by Anne Nwakalor

Two more photographers complete the lineup. KC Nwakalor’s Nigerians Flee South Africa documents the xenophobic attacks that forced many Nigerians to flee, directly engaging with the theme of racism within African contexts. Finally, Jono Terry, whose work I had admired for years and rediscovered through WeTransfer’s WePresent, examines Zimbabwe’s colonial legacies through a more personal lens.

Together, these six artists formed a powerful visual dialogue. I wanted each project to be in conversation with the next- creating a narrative arc that traces the historical roots of racism through to its contemporary manifestations, while acknowledging moments of resistance, care, and hope.

Adiam Yemane's images. Photo credit: Hugo David

Every curatorial choice was intentional. Tayo’s portraits were framed in gold, symbolising the exoticisation of Black women throughout history. Adïam’s images were installed resembling a staircase, reflecting her project’s ongoing journey. And Jono’s striking photograph of a man in a cowboy hat gazing at the moon was given its own wall, calling for the viewers to pause and gaze with him.

Curating this show has been a rewarding experience, one that reaffirmed my belief in photography’s ability to confront, heal, and inspire. My hope is that visitors left the exhibition not only having witnessed these stories, but also carrying with them a renewed determination to challenge discrimination in all its forms.

The show is on until 9 November 2025. Find out more.