King Kong was not christened this way, but he has been known as King Kong for many years in Makoko. When he told me his name it came as no real surprise – I had long stopped being surprised by any turn of events on this assignment. It was a surreal and random walk into the unknown and all the better for it.

The man that is King Kong is a bouncer in a nightclub in Lagos – I would imagine that the job is fairly secure, so long as he wants it. One evening he came over to my hotel for a beer and this allowed me to gain further insight into a gentle family man, who happens to be formidably muscular. In Nigeria, there is always hustle, but I was never hustled that night.

I took this image on the way home from the main shoot – as he guarded me and my cameras. There was no original intention of doing anything with the photograph, but it has been so well received that we decided to release it – with the promise that all profits will go to schools in Makoko. We have already sold a couple of images. I Am King Kong says “do not enter” as emphatically as any picture I know. Fathers need it for their daughter’s bedroom door.

Standard Framed 52" x 62" Edition of 12 with 3 Artist Proofs

Additional size:
Large Framed 71" x 87"