Skip to main content

This auction has ended. View lot details

You may also be interested in

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

Pieter Hugo (South African, born 1976) Animal Handler with Ajasco, Lagos, Nigeria (from 'Hyena & Other Men'), 2007 image 1
Pieter Hugo (South African, born 1976) Animal Handler with Ajasco, Lagos, Nigeria (from 'Hyena & Other Men'), 2007 image 2
Lot 46Ω

Pieter Hugo
(South African, born 1976)
Animal Handler with Ajasco, Lagos, Nigeria (from 'Hyena & Other Men'), 2007

8 October 2025, 15:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £7,680 inc. premium

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

How to sell

Looking for a similar item?

Our African Modern & Contemporary Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.

Find your local specialist

Ask about this lot

Pieter Hugo (South African, born 1976)

Animal Handler with Ajasco, Lagos, Nigeria (from 'Hyena & Other Men'), 2007
signed, titled, dated, and editioned '4 of 9' in ink; accompanied by a Yossi Milo Gallery label and the photographer's studio label, 4 from an edition of 9 plus 2 Artist's Proofs
Chromogenic print; flush-mounted
image size: 99.4 x 99.7 cm (39 1/8 x 39 1/4 in.)
sheet size: 111.8 x 109.9 cm (44 x 43 1/4 in.)

Footnotes

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.

Additional information

Bid now on these items

Bertina Lopes(Mozambican, 1924-2012)"Respiro" (Breath)

Bertina Lopes(Mozambican, 1924-2012)"Jazz una forma di musica classica contemporanea che riflette il cosmo prospettico dell'Africa II (da una frase di Harolds Bradley)" (Jazz is a form of contemporary classical music that reflects the cosmos African II perspective (from a phrase by Harold Bradley))

Bertina Lopes(Mozambican, 1924-2012)"Il sole la vita" (The Sun, Life)

Bertina Lopes(Mozambican, 1924-2012)"Ipotese dello continuo" (I'm a fan of the continuous)

Willem Boshoff(South African, born 1951)Neves I & II

Karen Jarosynzka(South African 1934-2014)Quasimodo

Rom Isichei(Nigerian, born 1966)Conversation with my Alter Ego

Anton Karstel(South African, born 1968)Portrait of Ian van Biljoen

Anton Karstel(South African, born 1968)Adderley St

Greg Marinovich(South African, born 1962)

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela(South African, 1918-2013)Left hand

Sophie Mowat(British, born 1988)The Other Bounty

Christine Dixie(South African, born 1966)Hide (To withhold or withdraw from sight)

Glory Samjolly(British, born 1997)Dear Archives

Walter Whall Battiss(South African, 1906-1982)Three Fook Stamps

Alison Turner(British, born 1976)At The Hands Of The Enslaved, Our Society Was Built

Stuart Bird(South African, born 1977)Zuma Biscuits 2 x 5 x 7cm (13/16 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4in). (each) (4)

Neequaye Dreph Dsane(British, born 1973)Dress Code

Gail Deborah Catlin(South African, born 1948)Female nude

Kione Grandison(British, born 1996)Let Us Not Forget

Norman Clive Catherine(South African, born 1949)Fook Dog

Alvin Kofi(British, born 1961)The Longitude Of Culture

Guy du Toit(South African, born 1958)Little Deaths

Kazvare Knox(Zimbabwean, born 1986)Someone's Been Stealing Our Things