Mercy Odukogbe’s pictures look like little miracles caught in motion, when light forgets how it’s supposed to act. In her A Cup of Lightning series, everyday things like a striped mug or a clear glass become energy portals that glow with colour and quiet rebellion.

In A Cup of Lightning I and II, blue and green trails of light flow into the cup, as if an alien drink is being made. The colours swirl, rise, and scatter. They are alive, electric, and impossible to contain. The simple mug, with its happy stripes, turns into something almost magical, like a container for thoughts or feelings. It looks like Mercy took a picture of imagination while it was flying.

In contrast, Glass and Lightning exchange wonder for warmth. The glass is inverted, and there are electric whisper-like streaks of yellow light all around it. The delicate stillness of glass contrasted with the erratic flow of light creates a sense of both peace and chaos. Mercy does a beautiful job of balancing these opposites. She uses long exposure not only to produce spectacle but also to pose a silent query: What happens when energy and stillness collide?

The most amazing thing is how Mercy elevates the commonplace to the level of poetry. A cup. A glass. A ray of light. Through her perspective, they cease to be objects of the home and instead become symbols of creation and silence, containment and overflow.

Every picture tells a little tale about control, curiosity, and the delight of trying new things. The light is human because it isn’t flawless. It is just like thought and feeling in that it bends, spills, and escapes.

The work of Mercy Odukogbe serves as a reminder that photography is about more than just expressing what is seen; it’s also about expressing what is felt. Her “cups” are brimming with energy, but they don’t contain tea. Additionally, her “lightning” dances rather than strikes.

Solomon-Ayeni is a multi-skilled, award-winning artist (visual and written), Art Curator and Jury, as well as Art Reviewer.