In the backrooms of Lagos’ old photo studios, a rich visual history was nearly lost—burned, discarded, or left to rot in cardboard boxes. British-Nigerian artist Karl Ohiri and his co-founder Riikka Kassinen launched the Lagos Studio Archives to rescue these forgotten snapshots of life from the 1960s to early 2000s. From stylish portraits to everyday celebrations, the archive preserves a vibrant cultural record once on the brink of erasure. Over nine years, they have saved work from at least 25 photographers—hundreds of thousands of images—despite studio demolitions and degraded negatives. Now exhibited globally, their mission is to reconnect Lagosians with a ‘family album’ capturing a city whose past was nearly forgotten.
CNN
