Yagazie Emezi

Nigerian artist/photographer

Yagazie Emezi is a Nigerian artist and photojournalist who uses photography and sculpture to explore the lives of African women through the lens of health, sexuality, education and human rights. She also explores wider themes of culture and social issues in her work. In 2019 she became the first Black African woman to photograph for National Geographic.

In May 2020, Yagazie was featured in The Washington Post in their article Living through a pandemic when your access to water is difficult, which focused on the effects of the coronavirus on Nigerian communities. Her work was subsequently displayed in project+gallery’s Just Pictures exhibition (September – November 2020). This exhibition explored artists who take an interdisciplinary approach to photography by combining aspects of fine art, fashion photography and the history of photography.

Throughout 2021, Yagazie has undertaken a variety of assignments for The New York Times, documenting vital issues such as mangrove conservation in the Niger Delta, and public health in Malawi, among others.