Daniel Obasi discusses Lagos’ Amah members’ club, where vocation and wonder can meet

There is something alchemically exciting about Amah – a new members’ club, co-working space and interdisciplinary meeting point for Lagos’ creative class (opening 20 October 2024). It is founded by photographer, art director and stylist Daniel Obasi, known for his book Beautiful Resistance, published as part of Louis Vuitton’s Fashion Eye series. The tome offers a visually arresting narrative on the queer community of Nigeria and the recent youth-led protests against institutional violence.

With Amah, Obasi expands his community-driven movement thesis further, with the aim of building a physical environment where inspiration, vocation and wonder can meet. We sat down with him to hear more.

How Amah came to life in Lagos

Wallpaper*: Why did you feel it important to open Amah and why now?

Daniel Obasi: In December 2022, I was feeling stuck in terms of Lagos. I had done a lot of cute stuff, a lot of projects, but I wasn’t really seeing myself in the Lagos space anymore. And it felt like everyone was leaving. We were going on a location scout, when I first saw the space [the top floor of the landmark Eleganza Tower]. I then went home and told my friend, ‘I saw one of the most gorgeous spaces in Lagos.’ And because I am a visual person, and I have foresight, I could tell what, if well done, the space could look like. My friends convinced me and said, ‘You can do it.’ I wasn't sure I could afford it, because it came with an all-encompassing budget as there was so much renovation work needed. And I didn't think it was something I could take on by myself. But my friend said, ‘But you’ve always said you wanted community. And maybe this is God’s way of telling you that it is time to weave that community you’ve always talked about.’

W*: What is your vision for Lagos’ creative community and what role will Amah play?

DO: So, my vision is I want people to be able to find themselves within the space. And even though we say it’s a members’ club, we are not saying membership in the sense of trying to be elitist. It is more to make sure that we are aware of who you are and we can vouch that this is a good person to be associated with the space. We want you to be vulnerable in this space, because part of being an artist is being vulnerable. We want people to be able to talk about their problems and be honest and have honest conversations with others. And for you to do that, we have to be sure that your interests are also protected and supported.

W*: What made you choose Lagos Island for your location and the Eleganza Building in particular?

DO: I think chance and fate played a role. I just stumbled upon it. The building is by Cappa and D’Alberto [a noted construction and design company that has been operating in Nigeria since 1934] and they have very sophisticated tastes, as this building is a marvel. A lot of my work intersects with Lagos Island. In the Louis Vuitton book, I shot mostly on rooftops and in abandoned buildings in Lagos Island and Ebute Metta. In the book, there is an image that talks about a heralding of a movement. That is what Beautiful Resistance is about. And I think that is what Amah is becoming, so maybe the book was a foreshadowing of what I am currently creating.

W*: Can you tell us a little bit about the collaborators you have chosen for the design aspect of the space?

DO: Roosevelt Amase, Uche Uba, Christina Nwabugo – these are the collaborators I work with on every project of my life! But it is more about people who exist in my space. It’s like an extended family. I feel like my secret weapon when it comes to ideation is actually conversations and we have a lot. A lot of things we have created we have made from recycled materials and scraps, and sourcing old furniture from warehouses that we can either repurpose or re-tweak. We repainted some original calabash gourds and stools our cobalt blue colour just to see how that would be interesting. We also designed pieces, like the lamps, chairs and sofas that are made by artisans; and yes, you can order from Amah Artisanal. Our artisans are scattered all around Lagos. The artisanal market here needs more structure in terms of education, and we just try to guide them as much as possible. But because we want this space to feel as experimental as possible, it is very important to view even these pieces as experiments.

W*: You are best known as a photographer, but you’ve had many other lives: graphic artist, stylist, fine artist, filmmaker, furniture designer. Is refusing to be defined as one thing something you are bringing to the Amah essence?

DO: Absolutely. We have just one life. Amah has just one life, and she will live it to the fullest. My friends describe Amah as a diva, she gets and does exactly what she wants, so Amah is not afraid to wear many hats. I wore an architectural hat for this. I have never designed a building in my life before and I designed and renovated all of this by myself – working with a contractor and engineers and them letting me know what is possible. And I am also making mistakes and being OK with making mistakes. I think I can actually design a house now. My mum says I behave like the additional seasoning you put last minute in the food when you’re not so sure and then that is the flavour that you bring to spaces. I think that is what my talent really, really is.

W*: For your opening what is the plan and is it tied to a theme?

DO: Our opening programme is very interesting. We are launching with a campaign called ‘Amah Loves You’. Amah Loves You with Daniel Obasi and friends. It’s a roll-out that will include short clips and it will all be tied into our Amah cocktails. We are trying to embody the retro feel that we think Amah is really about. That whole going to house parties, being somewhere you can have a cute conversation, which is what we are trying to bring back. We will also have cocktail editorials, with them looking lovely and retro in glasses. And then the final thing we’re doing is the launch itself, which will be an art exhibition of the space.

W*: Is Amah’s inclusive mandate because people often feel judged? How important is it to you that you are an ally to all communities?

DO: It is definitely a part of it, Amah is very inclusive; even in the campaign, we are trying to make sure that we illustrate how everyone here is welcome. For the co-working space, we are trying to structure it as packages so you can pay for a three-month package, you can pay for a one-month package. And the idea is that if you are a co-worker, you are a member here. I feel like life changes, the point you are at today doesn’t mean that’s where you are going to be for the rest of your life. You might be someone who can afford to come here for one month and then tomorrow you become someone who can afford to be here the whole year.

W*: Can you share some of the programming you have in place for the club?

DO: Part of the inspiration for Amah was the original community spaces that I [came across] when I was breaking into the scene: Stranger Lagos [a pioneering design-led concept store] and Café Neo. Stranger was owned by Yegwa Ukpo and people would come and the door was always open. I could come in and just be. So, we have the Amah Conversations, which is a podcast and a video where we invite people to sit down and have conversations; there is no host. We the team have put together some questions like a deck of cards and you randomly answer. We had our first episode shot [with] Yegwa and Adeju Thompson of Lagos Space Programme [a non-binary, luxury design project]. It was important that I open this thing right, so I had to pay homage to the OG of community building.

W*: Do you see Amah expanding beyond its building?

DO: It is so funny because the meaning of ‘amah’ in Igbo, when you actually break it down, is ‘a community space for gathering’, so every individual comes from an ‘amah’. Our name also comes from ‘amamihe’, which means ‘wisdom’. So ‘amamihe’ is to know, to understand and that’s why our tagline is ‘a space for gathering and knowledge’. I do see Amah expanding beyond the building, because we are very passionate about community development. Our programmes are already design-, research- and materials-led. It is about trying to figure out why certain problems exist and think of ways to fix them. We are still developing what we can explore first as an outreach. We have a really small team and there is quite a lot of stuff to do, but we believe we can do it.

Amah will open on 20 October 2024, danielobasi.com