OLUWADAMILOLA TEHINGBOLA
About
The power that every photograph potentially carries for Ayotola is riveting for her—its innate ability to still time and carry the weight of a story; its ability to play on the subconscious and sway judgment.
While practicing Law from her native home of Lagos, Nigeria Ayotola states she, “mistakenly made my first photograph”; dropping her Law career for a life and living as a photographer.
“Having been in America for less than a year and navigating being ‘black’ for the first time, I have entered an arena where I am still learning its ropes. The lens through which I engage as a resident of this new landscape is fresh, distinct, and keen and this provides a timely opportunity to take my photography practice to the next level.“
In July 2021 she moved to the United States to pursue a graduate education in the Arts. But in order to be able to do that, during 2020 business closures and loss of income during COVID,
Ayotola had to rely on her fallback; to sell all of her assets, including her camera equipment to buy her plane ticket and first few months of rent.
Receiving the Alexa Rose grant, Ayotola is able to purchase photography equipment.
