MUSCLE

With no single protagonist or linear narrative, the film immerses us in a spectacle of strength through an intimate portrait of bodybuilders in the slums of Lagos. Inflated muscles, bulging veins and luminous skin glistening with sweat fill the screen. Shot almost entirely in close-ups, the camera hovers so near its subjects, moving softly like breath on skin, that at times figures become blurred, abstracted forms.
Karimah Ashadu’s slow, measured pans across backs, chests and arms meditate on visibility, drawing attention to the embodiment and representation of the Black male body without rendering it singular or fixed. The metallic clang of barbells is punctuated with guttural sounds of exertion set against the ambience of the streets. Breath and muscle move in syncopated sonic choreography, and the men’s commitment to the ritual of maintaining the body is evident.
In MUSCLE, this amplified and fragile portrayal of strength requires the validation of an audience. As the men work to refine and tailor their bodies, we witness their desires manifest in physical form and gain insight into the immaterial realm of affect that resides in each of them.

Karimah Ashadu is a British-born Nigerian artist and film director living and working between Hamburg and Lagos. Her practice is concerned with labour, patriarchy and notions of independence pertaining to the socio-economic and socio-cultural context of Nigeria and its diaspora. Ashadu’s work has been exhibited and screened internationally, including at the 60th Venice Biennale (Silver Lion for a Promising Young Participant), as well as at MoMA PS1, Tate Modern and the Istanbul Biennial. She is the founder of the film production company Golddust by Ashadu, specialising in artists’ films on Black culture and African discourses.

Director Karimah Ashadu. Cinematography Aigberadion Israel Ikhazuangbe. Editing Karimah Ashadu. Sound Design Jochen Jezussek. Sound Design Onu Rosemaryjoy Chiwendu, Joseph Eyo Edem. Production Design Karimah Ashadu. Casting Karimah Ashadu. Producers Leonardo Bigazzi, Alessandro Rabottini. Co-Producer Karimah Ashadu. Production companies In Between Art Film (Rom, Italy), Golddust by Ashadu (Lagos, Nigeria).

World sales Golddust by Ashadu

Films: 2012: Hindsight - A Horse's Tale, Lagos Island. 2013: Apapa Amusement Park, Lagos Sand Merchants. 2015: King of Boys (Abattoir of Makoko), Makoko Sawmill. 2016: Destiny, Red Gold. 2018: Power Man. 2020: Brown Goods. 2021: Plateau. 2022: Cowboy. 2024: Machine Boys. 2025: MUSCLE.