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| 'I Have A Dream's (stringart, 20x26 inches, dated 2024) by Omotoyosi Ogunlende. |
OUTSIDE the walls of juried exhibitions, sometimes the public appraisal, perception and appreciation don’t always align with the organised and formal verdict of a panel. From one side of the complexity, some artists do get favourable critical appraisal.
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| 'Veiled Fracture' (photography) by Makidamaker |
ACROSS three generations of Nigerian photographers, iconic individuals such as JA Green (1973-1905), and postcolonial 1960s-1990s/2000s such as Peter Obe, JD Okhai Ojeikere, Tam Fiofori and 21st century masters like Kelechi Amadi-Obi, George Osodi, among others have boosted the mastery of the lens art.
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| Celebrant, Prof Femi Osofisan (left); text author and poet, Ben Tomoluju; and filmmaker, Tunde Kelani during 80th birthday of Osofisan...in Lagos, recently. |
IN 1973, as an 18-year-old Lower Sixth Arts student of Christ's School, Ado-Ekiti, I was privileged to play the lead role, Sanda, in Femi Osofisan's A RESTLESS RUN OF LOCUSTS. The second lead performer was a Class Four student, Miss Toyin Egunjobi (now Mrs. Eriye) who played Iyabo. The play was selected, produced and directed for the school's Drama Society by our Literature graduate teacher, Niyi Osundare and his colleague, Ebenezer Ojo.
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| 'Tailored To Her Root' (acrylic & fabric on canvas, 18x24inches, dated 2025) by Austin George Dorgu. |
AS 20 contemporary artists explore the stories shaping Africa's present and future, two art galleries collaborate for better understanding of the environment.
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| 'Eyes Combo' (digital painting, 40x30cm, dated 2021)) by Mede Akran. |
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| 'Alignment' (ceramics, acrylic, monofilament, fishing line, metal, 150x90x45cm, dated 2026) by Ngozi-Omeje Ezema |
WITH a theme built on Nigerian mother tongue usage of English language, artist, Ngozi-Omeje Ezema exposes woman as a victimized member of the larger society.
The artist's solo art exhibition titled Condition Make Crayfish Bend opens June 6-August 22, 2026, at kó Gallery, 36 Cameron Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. The exhibition, which is Ezema's second solo exhibition at the gallery, addresses issues relating to identity, family, and womanhood.
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| Prof Femi Osofisan. |
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| A section of Jessica Ajuyah's The Shape of Memory solo art exhibition at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos. |
The Lagos art environment has something to chew, perhaps digest too, in the emerging digital textures on the art appreciation landscape of the city.
Arguably the art hub of West Africa, Lagos, which prides itself in art galleries of mostly three to four decades or more old hardly display works outside the traditional art textures. Going through quite a number of exhibitions across the Lagos central art districts in first quarter of 2026 exposes a shift.
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| 'Silence of Becoming' (ballpen on watercolour paper, 29.7x42cm, dated 2025) by Onesa Oruoghor. |
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| 'Friendship' (acrylic on canvas, 3024x3111, dated 2026) by Faith Omole |
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| 'The Shattered Genesis' (digital imaging) by Iramofu Oseh. Pic: c/o the artist |
THE windows in medium of artistic expressions, over the ages, keep expanding basic traditional formats, even in 21st century digital era. Such resilience of the art-making process further finds validation in Iramofu Oseh's artwork in which he experiments with the two fundamental windows of line and light.
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| Sharjah Biennial 17 curators Paula Nascimento (left) and Angela Harutyunyan. Image courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation. Photo: Danko Stjepanovic |
SHARJAH Art Foundation, UAE, has announced the title, curatorial framework and participant list for the 17th edition of Sharjah Biennial. Bringing together 109 participants, the Biennial will take place from 21 January to 13 June 2027 across multiple sites in the Emirate of Sharjah. |
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| 'What To Do III' (oil on canvas, 49 x 33 inch, dated 2025) by Wilson Mini. |
