Culture

8,000 Years of Art in Nigeria Reclaims Heritage, Power

Published

10 months ago

October 25, 2025

8,000 Years of Art in Nigeria reclaims the nation’s artistic heritage, connecting past and present while empowering a new creative economy

8,000 Years of Art in Nigeria is a monumental project led by Oriiz U. Onuwaje, founder of Crimson Fusion Curators, aimed at reclaiming Nigeria’s artistic heritage and positioning it as a driver of cultural identity, diplomacy, and economic growth.

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The initiative maps eight millennia of Nigerian creativity, connecting Nok terracottas, Ifẹ heads, Benin Bronzes, and Igbo-Ukwu regalia into a continuous narrative that has, until now, been fragmented.

Onuwaje describes the work as an act of restitution — not of objects, but of memory, meaning, and narrative sovereignty.

Through a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding with the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), the project gains institutional support to elevate scholarship, documentation, and presentation of Nigerian art on a global scale.

“Heritage is not simply preservation — it is projection,” Onuwaje explains. “Our past is strategy for the future. Art in Nigeria is ready to show that it is not nostalgia, but identity, soft power, and economic potential.”

The project spans multiple media, combining archives, exhibitions, digital storytelling, and design to ensure that Nigeria’s creative narrative is authored locally, showcased globally, and integrated into education, tourism, and the creative economy.

Onuwaje views the initiative as generational, connecting master carvers and traditional artists with contemporary digital creators. “The thread was never broken,” he says. “It only waited for this generation to pick it up and weave again.”

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With this project, Nigeria is poised to transform its heritage into an engine of cultural diplomacy, economic development, and national pride, positioning art as both a reflection of history and a strategy for the future.

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Culture

WAKE UP! Art Exhibition Returns for a Second Act

Published

1 week ago

August 27, 2026

Mariam Balogun

The contemporary art and photography exhibition “Wake Up!” is back again for a second edition.

Curated by Awele Onwordi, Wake Up! 2 exhibition pays homage to the Nigerian youth and burgeoning street culture which many of its contributing artists reference in their works.

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Titled “Young, Wild, Free”, the exhibition celebrates the creativity, resilience, freedom and cultural influence found in Nigerian youth.

Taking aim at societal issues and economic concerns, the exhibit reflects the youth and their refusal to compromise or bow despite all the challenges stacked against them while charting youth culture through art, music, fashion, skateboarding, photography and community.

The exhibition will be held, once again, at the Angel and Muse Gallery at 25 Sumbo Jibowu street off Ribadu Road off Awolowo Road in Ikoyi.

It will open on Saturday 5 September 2026 and will run until 11 September 2026
This second edition which focuses on celebrating, nurturing and exploring artistic practices rooted in youth and street culture will feature works from DENCITY and SUPERGLIDER HOUSE.

Exhibiting artists include Ajilore Kehinde – their work is deeply influenced by Nigerian street culture and works of other artists like Slawn, Peters Ejiro, etc, Chuka Onwordi – graphic designer who embodies themes of death, melancholy and beauty in his works, ZIDYEP – Abuja based creative whose works move between digital and physical spaces through art, graphic design and air brushing , Franklyn Okoye – graphic designer and artist whose works explore themes of identity and hyper-reality, Awele Onwordi – founder & curator of WAKE UP and multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans character art, creative logo design, album covers and more , Oluchi Kogolo – digital illustrator whose work explores street culture, personality and storytelling through a raw and playful visual style and Kozetuo Apeji – multidisciplinary artists who work explores experimental approaches to problem solving through both digital and traditional art forms.

Commenting on the exhibition in her curatorial statement, Awele noted that “despite economic instability, limited opportunities and socio-political challenges, Nigerian youth continue to shape culture through music, fashion, art, skateboarding, raves, photography and community.”

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Continuing and harping on the raison d’etre of the exhibition she said, “Young, Wild and Free exists to celebrate Nigerian youth while also creating a platform that supports and amplifies them.”