Boy.Brother.Friend's fifth issue delves into themes of ‘rituals’ and ‘ceremony’

Speaking to junior editor Jojolola Dopamu, we catch up with the team behind one of our favourite art magazines of the last few years.

Date
2 February 2023

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When we first covered the magazine Boy.Brother.Friend, we knew it was something special. That’s why we invited Kk Obi back to speak at a Nicer Tuesdays event to tell us more about the creative proccess of drawing together different artists to explore the intersection of diaspora and masculinities. Three years on, and it’s clear the magazine has gone from strength to strength – upping its game and style in spades. Recently, Kk and the team released their fifth issue of Boy.Brother.Friend which centres around the theme of ‘rituals’ and ‘ceremony’, specifically those which “govern contemporary diaspora creativity and existence,” Jojolola Dopamu, Boy.Brother.Friend’s junior editor, tells us. Containing a myriad of articles and interviews pertaining to fashion and art, as well as editorial shoots, poetry, and visual art, the fifth issue is a fascinating deep dive in to artistic habit and motivation.

“This issue takes us around the globe, showcasing the beauty of these places in a raw vividity that has become synonymous with Boy.Brother.Friend since its inception,” says Jojolola. With each issue carrying a theme that branches out into smaller, more minutiae sub-themes, Boy.Brother.Friend always seeks to unearth something new in its findings. “The magazine unpacks deep cultural, artistic and societal topics in an authentically raw fashion,” Jojolola adds. “Issue 5 ticks all the boxes of Boy.Brother.Friend style, while providing fresh perspectives and stories that examine ceremony as well as the culture of habit and ritual.”

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Boy.Brother.Friend: In ‘I just want want to say my piece and leave it at the table’, our cover star, Obongjayar steps out in style wearing Bottega Veneta by Mathieu Blazy. This outfitting set the tone for an eye-opening interview with the burgeoning British-Nigerian musical prodigy (Copyright © Boy.Brother.Friend, 2023)

On the theme ceremony, Jojolola draws us back to the foundational human aspect of ritual and tradition. “It can be easy to lose track of the more basic activities that we perform ceremoniously,” he explains. “What this issue attempts to do is to appreciate the beauty in all of this and, through our lenses of art, fashion and exhibition, investigate why ceremonies mean so much to us, what these ceremonies do for us, and why we organise and partake in ceremony.” From the Ye-Yee-Ye festival in Accra, Ghana, to an interview with Nigerian musical artist Obongjayar, to quotes from Stuart Hall’s Resistance Through Rituals: Youth Subcultures in Post-War Britain, there’s a lot to unpack and engage with inside the fifth issue. No page is left scarce, nor does any page leave you without something to think about – either critically or artistically.

“We hope that the audience can first of all appreciate the beauty within ceremonial undertakings in our lives and world over, and the general beauty of art and fashion in relation to the authentic issues and sub-themes contained in the issue,” Jojolola explains. “Secondly, we hope to see a brand new enthusiasm in investigating the psychology of why we do things, as well as why we do them in the various orders in which we do them.” The issue acutely presents a fascinating and thorough presentation of art, fashion, and everything in between, and breaks new ground in Boy.Brother.Friend’s move towards studying oneself as much as one celebrates and appreciates oneself.

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Boy.Brother.Friend: Sci-fi addict, Cameron Ugbodu, like every other artist, puts himself into his art, whether the medium may be visual art, photography, or fashion. As expressed in ‘From The River to The Moon’, Cameron makes use of the characters in his unearthly paintings with strong shades of blue as “avatars” to enter into worlds created in his mind. This level of transcendental art, which he describes as a “visual odyssey” is intended to carry the same values and themes of playfulness, bodies, symbolism, heritage, queerness, belonging, longing, and royalty that aren’t far from what he puts into his photography (Copyright © Boy.Brother.Friend, 2023)

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Boy.Brother.Friend: Rowan Papier spent 18 months between different countries documenting this project. ‘Bulking Season’ looks at the world of bodybuilding through the eyes of the bodybuilders themselves. Bodybuilding is often perceived as purely exhibitional, but here, with visuals and quotes, we experience the bodybuilders as ceremonial figures and we receive the nuances that go alongside this kind of discipline. Styled by Edem Dossou and casted by Stephane Gaboue who have collaborated with us many times over, we would just like to thank this team for sharing this incredible series with us (Copyright © Boy.Brother.Friend, 2023)

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Boy.Brother.Friend: Love Bite: A stunning visual exploration of vivid transformation. Transformation takes place on the inside, at the level of the blood. Heavy on the reds and sharp objects, this shoot embraces the absurd in awe-evoking fashion. Styled by Lu Philippe Guilmette, and photographed by Zhong Lin (Copyright © Boy.Brother.friend, 2023)

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Boy.Brother.Friend: Unorthodox to the norms of Jamestown, Accra, and all of Ghana, the men of the “Ye-Yee-Ye Festival” walk in bold parade, celebrating their freedom to express themselves through cross-dressing. The atmosphere is one of immense liberty on streets filled with onlookers who range from judgmental to astonished. Photographer James Tennessee Briandt captures this atmosphere in the sheer brilliance of its authenticity (Copyright © Boy.Brother.friend, 2023)

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Boy.Brother.Friend: The Spring 2023 Men’s fashion week season provided many noteworthy moments. We were present in Milan and Paris for the first time to document these moments photographed by Jebi Labembika (Copyright © Boy.Brother.friend, 2023)

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Boy.Brother.Friend: Antwaun Sargent and unification through pride in community diversity by Marc Asekhame (Copyright © Boy.Brother.friend, 2023)

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Boy.Brother.Friend: BBF5 Dress Code by Till Janz (Copyright © Boy.Brother.friend, 2023)

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Boy.Brother.Friend: In ‘I just want want to say my piece and leave it at the table’, our cover star, Obongjayar steps out in style wearing Bottega Veneta by Mathieu Blazy. This outfitting set the tone for an eye-opening interview with the burgeoning British-Nigerian musical prodigy (Copyright © Boy.Brother.Friend, 2023)

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About the Author

Joey Levenson

Joey is a freelance design, arts and culture writer based in London. They were part of the It’s Nice That team as editorial assistant in 2021, after graduating from King’s College, London. Previously, Joey worked as a writer for numerous fashion and art publications, such as HERO Magazine, Dazed, and Candy Transversal.

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