
Sofia Vellano Rubin
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Provenance
Yossi Milo Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Literature
Pieter Hugo, The Hyena & Other Men (Munich, 2007), n.p.
Inspired by the real-life street scenes of Lagos, Nigeria, Pieter Hugo set out to capture the 'Gadawan Kura', or 'Hyena Handlers/Guides' as translated from the original Hausa. Hugo sought to understand these men, shrouded in mystery, whose myth was perpetuated by word-of-mouth and exacerbated by the Nigerian newspapers that described them as bank robbers, bodyguards, drug dealers, and debt collectors. In reality, this group of individuals comprised a small community of minstrels who travelled the surrounding area and lived a nomadic life with their menagerie, which included three hyenas, four monkeys, and a few rock pythons. Hugo spent 8 days with this group, documenting them as they engaged with crowds and customers as they peddled traditional medicinal cures.
Hugo's images explore the relationship between both the animals and their 'handlers', and the exoticism of the animals as they stand out from the urban surroundings. Rather than document the group as they entertained crowds of people, Hugo intentionally requested portrait sessions with each 'handler' and their animal.
After Hugo left Nigeria, he often reflected on this project since he felt that it was unresolved. Two years later, he returned and reunited with the same group of 'Gadawan Kura'. Hugo notes, "The second trip was different. By this stage, there was a stronger personal relationship between myself and the group. We had remained in contact, and they were keen to be photographed again. The images from this journey are less formal, and more intimate." The present work comes from Hugo's second set of portraits.