A photography exhibition in Lagos by Aako Ugbabe quietly invites viewers to rediscover the beauty of birds, landscapes, nature, and everyday human life, while reflecting on the delicate relationship between the natural world and modern urban living in contemporary Nigeria.

Words Ireho Aito | Don’t Keep Your Art in the Finger!

As the world prepares to celebrate the 100th birthday of David Attenborough, the legendary broadcaster’s lifelong love for birds, wildlife, landscapes, and the environment continues to inspire people across generations. For decades, Attenborough has taught the world to slow down, observe nature carefully, and understand the delicate relationship between humans and the natural world.

If he were to walk into Didi Museum in Lagos this weekend, he would likely find a familiar spirit in the photographs of Aako Ugbabe. Through Wild Meets Urban, Ugbabe brings that same quiet attention to birds, landscapes, insects, flowers, and everyday human life in Nigeria.

The exhibition is more than a collection of photographs. It is a conversation between nature and the modern city. It asks viewers to pay attention to the things they often ignore, the sound of birds above traffic, the beauty of hills and rocks, and the dignity of ordinary people at work.

Every photograph seems to carry a story. A bird flying through the sky becomes more than wildlife photography. A woman carrying buckets on her head becomes a symbol of endurance and daily survival.

For curator and art consultant Moses Ohiomokhare, this storytelling quality is what makes the exhibition stand out.

“This exhibition is so interesting because it looks at its works from another angle. You see a bird and begin to imagine what has happened. You see a man or woman at work and begin to appreciate why he has gone ahead to capture this,” he says.

Ohiomokhare believes Ugbabe is documenting society through photography.

“He is a great storyteller who has something to tell society. He is also documenting society.”

What makes the journey even more remarkable is that Ugbabe is a retired engineer and scientist with a doctorate degree in physics. Photography started as a hobby, but gradually became a serious passion.

“When I watch birds flying, I am thinking physics,” Ugbabe says. “They influence my interest in bird flight. I have recorded up to 100 species of birds. I draw the attention of people to nature.”

His love for nature is deeply connected to Jos, where many of the photographs were inspired by the hills, mountains, birds, flowers, and landscapes.

According to Ohiomokhare, “He has been able to capture the landscape. You look at the hills, mountains, the birds. He captures nature, and Jos is a very beautiful plateau.”

The exhibition is divided into three sections, people and society, birds and wildlife, and landscapes with flowers and insects.

The title Wild Meets Urban also reflects an important idea.

“The Wild meeting Urban theme is to tell you how we interact with nature,” Ohiomokhare explains. “It is to tell you that the urban city enjoys so much interaction with nature and we don’t even notice it. You hear the birds singing and more.”

For him, art must always communicate something meaningful.

“As a curator, you like to go for themes. You look for things that affect our sensibilities such as culture, environment, and presentation. You are eager to pass a message to society. If the artist is not passing any message, it is not worth your while as a curator.”

Artist Andrew Onoriode Oghobase, a Nigerian born but based in Canada was also impressed by the exhibition, especially the photographer’s attention to birds and nature.

“There is the amount of birds that he was able to photograph in a very short time,” he says.

For Oghobase, the exhibition carries a deeper message, “Thematically, it is about deep listening.”

He believes collectors should support such works because they celebrate Nigeria’s heritage, environment, and natural beauty.

In Wild Meets Urban, Aako Ugbabe reminds viewers that nature still exists beside modern city life. Birds still sing above busy streets. Landscapes still shape memory and identity. Human beings still depend on the natural world, even when they forget it.

And perhaps that is why the exhibition feels important at this moment. Like David Attenborough’s lifelong work, it quietly asks people to look again at the world around them and to value what may one day disappear.

The exhibition opens on Saturday, 2 May 2026 at 3pm at and will run until 16 May 2026. Ahead of the official opening, guests and art lovers will also have an opportunity to experience a special private viewing and an evening with on Friday, 1 May 2026. The gathering promises an intimate moment to engage directly with the artist, his ideas, and the stories behind the photographs that make Wild Meets Urban a thoughtful reflection on nature, memory, and modern African life.

iBAND Magazine, Celebrating Visual Arts from the Original.
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