By Way of Water is an immersive installation exploring water as both a site of historical rupture and a living cosmological archive within the African diaspora. Inspired by Yoruba cosmology and anchored by photography from Nigerian artist Adeolu Osibodu, the project examines spiritual systems and transatlantic myths that traveled across oceans, adapted under displacement, and continue to exist across the continent and diaspora as acts of passage, protection, and remembrance.
The installation transforms a shipping container into a threshold space: part shrine, part archive. A sand altar accompanies a surreal, conceptual series of visuals depicting figures in and around bodies of water and land, blurring past, present, and ancestral memory. Cowrie shells, wood carvings, and other reclaimed trade objects once exchanged for enslaved bodies, are recontextualized as tools of reverence, protection, and continuity. Ambient sound, lighting, and poetry shape the container into a contemplative environment, inviting visitors to enter a space that foregrounds sensory experience, reflection, and active participation.
By Way of Water encourages audiences to slow down and connect with African diasporic histories and cosmologies. The installation welcomes both those familiar with these narratives and first-time viewers, offering an encounter with collective memory and Afrofuturist possibilities while fostering dialogue, cultural understanding, and imaginative world-building.
Artist Bios
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Adeolu Osibodu
Adeolu Osibodu (b. 1997) is a photographer and photo-artist from Lagos, Nigeria based in London, United Kingdom. From a young age, he has been drawn to the space between dreams and ideas. Inspired by life and personal experience, Adeolu captures fleeting moments that evoke multiple realities, hallucination, and fragments of memory. His images convey the passage of time with an underlying sense of sentiment and introspection.
Since the age of 18, Adeolu has used photography as a tool for self-expression, exploring moods and thoughts often left unsaid. In addition to his personal practice, he collaborates on commissioned and commercial projects with select brands and cultural organizations.
Adeolu’s work has been exhibited across the world including the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Canada, U.A.E, Italy and France. His recent commissioned project with Vital Impacts and Conservation International along with selected photographers across the globe, “Irreversible Carbon” was exhibited at the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Adeolu currently also works in film as an expanding medium of expression.
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justin.el
justin.el, known as ourlittleauthor, makes up stories. Sometimes he writes them down. He is the author of a book of poems, titled JANUS, which can be found in digital format on Amazon or Gumroad. His collaborative resume includes work with Supremacy Project, submissions to Lucky Jefferson and Late Fee Magazine, as well as open mic performances throughout New York City. He writes to help others see themselves. You can find Justin walking around New York City, imagining the magic in the mundane, or on social media platforms as @ourlittleauthor.
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Khadijat Oseni
Creative alchemist and producer, Khadijat Oseni, subscribes to a simple formula—bringing great ideas and great people together to tell authentic, soulful stories.
Khadijat’s curatorial practice sits at the intersection of public art, social justice, and community engagement, often focusing on narratives that examine African American lived experiences within a broader diasporic framework. She has served as an independent curator and artistic director, collaborating with cultural organizations and public art initiatives including St. Ann’s Warehouse, Little Amal, and Supremacy Project. Khadijat has also secured and managed content production for clients ranging from Showtime Networks to the UN Foundation and has been tapped as an influencer by brands, platforms and institutions such as Ace Hotel, Real Simple, Tumblr, and NASA.
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Marcus Kiser
Marcus Kiser creates elevated UI, illustration, and digital work for Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Museum, Jordan Brand, Adidas, Charlotte Hornets, and Mign, Inc. His practice blends classical art and comics through community engagement. He contributed typographic design in the By Way of the Water exhibit.
Organizations
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Photoville
Founded in 2011 in Brooklyn, NY, Photoville was built on the principles of addressing cultural equity and inclusion, which we are always striving for, by ensuring that the artists we exhibit are diverse in gender, class, and race.
In pursuit of its mission, Photoville produces an annual, city-wide open air photography festival in New York City, a wide range of free educational community initiatives, and a nationwide program of public art exhibitions.
By activating public spaces, amplifying visual storytellers, and creating unique and highly innovative exhibition and programming environments, we join the cause of nurturing a new lens of representation.
Through creative partnerships with festivals, city agencies, and other nonprofit organizations, Photoville offers visual storytellers, educators, and students financial support, mentorship, and promotional & production resources, on a range of exhibition opportunities.
For more information about Photoville visit, www.photoville.com
By Way of Water
Featuring: Adeolu Osibodu justin.el Khadijat Oseni Marcus Kiser
Curated by: Khadijat Oseni
Supported by:
Locations
View Location Details Download a detailed map of this location Brooklyn Bridge Park – Emily Warren Roebling Plaza1 Water St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
This location is part of Brooklyn Bridge Park
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The views and opinions expressed in this exhibit are those of the exhibition artists and partners and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Photoville or any other participants and partners of the Photoville Festival.
