Jenevieve Aken
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jenevieve Aken | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1989 (age 36–37) Ikon Aluk, Cross River, Nigeria |
| Occupation | Photographer |
| Website | www |
Jenevieve Aken (born 1989)[1] is a Nigerian documentary, self-portrait and urban portrait photographer, focusing on cultural and social issues. Her work often revolves around her personal experiences and social issues surrounding gender roles.[2] Aken also models in her self-portrait works. Her work has been shown at Lagos Photo Festival.[2][3] Aken currently resides in Lagos, Nigeria.[4][5]
Aken grew up in the small village of Ikom Aluk in Cross River State. She suffered the death of her mother at a young age and was not aligned her father. He father was rather traditional and didn't want her to pursue career in music. Hence, they parted ways. She wrote songs inspired by her life experiences, one song being titled "Make It Through The Race." After her short stint in music she went on to try acting but soon put that aside as well. She eventually got her first break at the Vilsco Fashion Show and recognized the harsh realities of women in the modelling industry. It was her experiences in modeling that brought her to a career in photography.[6]
She enrolled in the Market Photo workshop, Johannesburg, South Africa but was not able to complete the courses as she discovered opportunities in the British Council Model of the Year competition. She returned home to participate in the MTN Lagos Fashion & Design Week. While she stopped short of completing her photography classes, she told Pulse.ng "I will go back to complete my photography school. I know photography and modeling are both heavy tasks to undertake but I have passion for both and will do both concurrently for as long as I can," in an interview. Aken has seen success in photography regardless of finishing classes by participating in the Lagos Photo Festival.[6]