Balogun's 'Culmination...' of linking ancestral, contemporary frontiers

Dr Adesola Balogun with one of his works titled 'We Are Patching It's (multimedia, 96 x 96 x 34cm, dated 2026).

WHEN artist, Adeola Balogun, PhD, returns to the exhibition circuit with a solo exhibition in the next few days, his sculptures will be interrogating ancestral, history and the contemporary connection.

Balogun's solo exhibition titled Culmination: Linking Then and Now opens from November 1-14, 2026, at Metropolitan Club, Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. The exhibition, as a body of work probes ancestral lineage, history, social consciousness, and the digital frontier. 

in his Artist Statement, Balogun explained that the works interrogate the intricate geometries of electronic circuit boards and conductive track lines into sculpture and mixed-media painting. And applying transposed images of his previous sculptures and Gelede masks, Balogun seek to map the invisible currents that define contemporary existence through the lens of Yoruba cosmology. "These technological motifs are not merely aesthetic choices; they function as a profound metaphor for Ilà, traditional Yoruba tribal marks and scarification prominent on Gelede masks, re-imagined as contemporary cultural allusions."  

Balogun noted that tribal marks serve as a sophisticated semiotic system: signifiers of heritage, protection, and social belonging. He views the "tracks" of a circuit board as a modern form of scarification. He argued that just as the blade once etched history and identity onto the skin, technology now etches its presence onto the body of our society. He stated that the "digital scarification" interrogates how people's cultural identities are reconfigured, encoded, and sometimes distorted by the rapid pace of technological advancement.  

"The application of these conductive pathways across my sculptures and canvases highlights critical tensions, notably between technological infrastructure and cultural heritage," Balogun said. "I explore the rigid, non-negotiable logic of a circuit, where a single broken track leads to system failure; as a metaphor for our fragile social structures."

Excerpts from Balogun's Artist Statement: "My work examines systemic "glitches" in our political, social, and economic environments, particularly within the African context, where technological promise frequently clashes with infrastructural challenges. By applying these technical elements to tactile mediums like sculpture and multiple-mediums painting, I attempt to "flesh out" the coldness of electronics, transforming mass-produced, industrial symbols into intimate, hand-wrought expressions of human struggle and resilience.

Dr Balogun and his work titled 'The Veritable Intervention' (multimedia, 215 x 79 x 79cm, dated 2026).

"Through this hybrid engagement, wherein the images of past sculptures and Gelede masks are imbued with renewed possibility in a new exploratory space, I invite viewers to re-imagine the familiar and interrogate the intersection of history, culture, and technology."

Dr Balogun is a contemporary Nigerian multidisciplinary artist, art educator, and mentor. He is renowned for his multidimensional approach to art, seamlessly blending an active studio practice with a dedicated academic career at Nigeria’s foremost tertiary institution, Yaba College of Technology. 

Over the years, Dr Balogun  has built a formidable reputation as an artist whose work in myriads of dimensions breathes new life into materials often considered obsolete. His sculptures animated with a remarkable sense of fluidity that transforms everyday objects into vibrant artistic statement, engaging critically with societal conditions, cultural memory and lived experience.  Through his work, he invites us to re-imagine the familiar and reflect on contemporary realities. His literal application of circuit board, alongside the adaptation of embedded circuitry lines as a signature motif has birthed a distinctive visual language. 

He has executed a number of public monuments which includes: Obafemi Awolowo bronze statue at the Oba femi Awolowo University, Ife, the Symbol of Culture and Justice, Unilag, Towards Achieving Distinction, U.I, Funso Williams’ statue, Tamed, Sweden, After the falcons, Abu Dhabi, UAE. and many others.

Balogun has held fourteen solo exhibitions, several group exhibitions, participated in residencies, conferences and facilitated workshops in Nigeria, Netherlands, USA, and UAE. He has received numerous awards both nationally and internationally. He is a Fellow of Society of Nigerian Artists (FSNA), and an active member of Sculptors’ Association of Nigeria. He is the Art Organizing Coordinator in Yaba Art Museum, Yaba College of Technology.

Fragile balance of aesthetic, theme in Okoro’s ‘Afrocentric identity’

'Echoes of Extinction' (print on paper, 45 x 68cm, dated 2025) by Godspower Okoro.

By Tajudeen Sowole  

THE challenge of generating intellectually rich content in the creation of a masterpiece appears to have been shared with the appreciating end of the creative chain. Appreciation of some works of art demands certain energy of critical view, perhaps similar to the efforts of the artist in creating a piece, so explains one of the recent works of Godspower Okoro. 

In the print on paper work, Echoes of Extinction, Okoro’s brushings attempt to capture environmental issue, storytelling, and memory. But between the theme of the work and the aesthetics textures there is a struggle for attention. Striking a balance that would not get each of the two sides lost under the central theme now rests on the shoulders of the viewer, and not the artist.

Through a critical window, Okoro’s Echoes of Extinction presents so much to digest, and perhaps gets viewers overfed such that the essence of appreciating art becomes a challenge. Some pieces of art consume the attention of the viewers based on the aesthetics energy generated by the artist. Other works’ themes take their strength from the poetic shades of the themes, creating a haven in appreciation. And when a piece of art is rich in both aesthetics and theme, something is either right or relatively stranded in between critical and commercial appreciation. 

For Okoro’s Echoes of Extinction, which, supposedly, captures the urgency of the declining global environment, the texture of the piece comes with huge contrast against the theme. A piece of a seated girl with the entire canvas bathed in colourful patterns doesn’t look like an image to symbolise extinction, so the work appears through a critical lens. From the pseudo monochrome texture of the girl, to the colourful background, and the parrot placed on the girl’s folded knee and arm, Echoes of Extinction radiates enriched aesthetics that almost distracts from its theme.

Although the central theme also focuses memory and communication, the environmental urgency and extinction parts attract more attention. On the contrast and ironic context, the memory and communication part of the theme, which dominate the artistic contents, blossom in the artist’s application of the famous Ankara fabrics. Symbolic as a connection between Europe – specifically, the Dutch and Africa – the Ankara print has become popular among people in West Africa. Drenched in aesthetics, Okoro’s Echoes of Extinction escalates the beauty of the Dutch-originated African fabrics in the identity part of the theme. 

In hues of brown and orange, Okoro dramatizes the beauty of the fabric as a background to the Africanness storytelling part of the piece. And as the parrot, a mimicry bird shares something in common with a section of the Ankara’s colours, the artist, again, returns to Europe. Despite the piece being a celebration of Africa and diaspora storytelling, the presence of the parrot, said to have been speaking in Scottish captures the contemporary digital connections that links the world, across cultures.     

Back to Okoro’s aesthetics dexterity that nearly blurs the theme of the Echoes of Extinction mixed media. Light and its hues and shades come as a great tool in the artist’s rendition of the piece, radiating a multidimensional imagery. With a yellow spot that beams onto the Ankara print in the background, the light manipulation between the top, middle, ground and lower part of the canvas, coalesce to emboss the figure, creating 3D illusion. This much of loaded contents, relatively though, outweigh the strength of the theme of the work.

Ancient diaspora connection to Yoruba name origin 

 Auchi alumni regroup for 1499 art force

Self-reflection inspired olusola's watercolour

In Lagos, sculptors reconverge for Elixir 3 exhibition

From Black Figures, Black Masks' Okwuosa generates youthful visual texture

'Women of Elephant Tusk' in empowerment, cultural cohesion

How Prof Buhari captured 'Yusuf Grillo Like You've Never Seen'

Art on chessboard with Tunde Onakoya, Lanre Olagoke 

Onyeka Onwenu's last major honour in Art of Afrobeats award 

Soyinka at 90...revisiting Maya Angelou, superlatives of Nobel Prize

Separating Yoruba religious tradition from Isese (2)

Tam Fiofori, Ibrahim, Orara...leaving strong visual legacies

Akeem Balogun...expressive artist gone too soon

Uwa Usen

When Prince William, Musawa others celebrated Olagoke's MBE

Separating Yoruba religious tradition from isese

'How yearly October Rain exhibition expanded to International Arts Festival '

Prince Kolawole K. Olojo-Kosoko, Chairman, Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) Lagos State Chapter speaking during the opening of October Rain International Arts Festival' 2026.

OVER the years, October Rain has provided an important platform for artists to exhibit their works, exchange ideas, engage audiences, and contribute to the development of visual arts in Lagos State and Nigeria. We acknowledge and celebrate all those who have sustained this valuable tradition.

However, every enduring institution must continually renew its vision and explore new possibilities.

We therefore asked ourselves: Can October Rain become more than an annual exhibition? Can it connect artists with other creative professionals, attract international participation, stimulate cultural tourism, create employment, encourage investment, and open new markets for Nigerian creativity?

Our answer is yes!

That conviction has inspired the transformation of October Rain into the October Rain International Arts Festival, ORIA-FEST 2026.

This is not merely a change of name; it is an expansion of vision and a commitment to greater possibilities. Our vision is to establish a sustainable cultural platform where artistic excellence is celebrated, cultural heritage is preserved, creative talents are recognised, and artists are connected with opportunities in Nigeria and around the world.

Our mission is to bring creative minds together, promote cultural exchange, encourage collaboration across generations and disciplines, support professional development, and connect artistic creativity with the wider creative economy.

We are moving beyond the traditional boundaries of an exhibition to embrace visual arts, music, literature, theatre, dance, photography, film, fashion, digital creativity, and other expressions of human imagination.

We want our artists to discover new opportunities, our cultural institutions to attract greater recognition, and our creative community to contribute more meaningfully to economic and social development.

This is the direction in which we are moving, and this is the future we are working to build.

3. HONOURING OUR FOREBEARS AND CELEBRATING OUR LIVING LEGENDS

Ladies and gentlemen, as we look towards the future, we must never forget those whose sacrifices made our present possible.

The history of the Society of Nigerian Artists is a story of courage, dedication, resilience, and a shared belief in the importance of art to national development. Since the establishment of the Society in 1963 and the subsequent formation of the Lagos State Chapter in 1982, generations of artists have contributed to building the professional community we celebrate today.

We remember with profound respect our departed heroes, particularly Pa Emmanuel Alabi Bojerenu, Prince C. S. Akran, and Dr. Olu Ajayi, among other distinguished forebears whose leadership and contributions helped shape our Chapter.

Although they are no longer physically with us, their legacies remain alive in their artworks, their students, their institutions, their ideas, and the memories they have left behind.

To their families and representatives present today, we express our heartfelt gratitude. Your presence reminds us that behind every great leader are families who share in the sacrifices and responsibilities of service. We honour you and thank you for joining us in celebrating their enduring contributions.

However, our responsibility must not end with remembering those who have passed on. We must also celebrate our living legends while they are still with us.

We must honour our masters, appreciate our art educators and researchers, recognise our cultural advocates, and celebrate those who have devoted their lives to developing artistic skills, mentoring younger practitioners, preserving cultural traditions, and expanding the boundaries of creative expression.

We must also recognise our emerging artists, students, young creatives, and members who are steadily discovering their voices and contributing to the development of the arts.

Recognition must not be restricted by age, gender, social status, popularity, or professional connections. Our women artists must be celebrated, our senior members respected, our young artists encouraged, and those who work quietly behind the scenes acknowledged.

Let us build a culture in which we celebrate one another, appreciate excellence, recognise service, and preserve the knowledge of our masters for future generations.

At October Rain International Arts Festival, we are not here merely to display artworks. We are here to celebrate the people behind the art, honour the past, recognise the present, and inspire the future.

4. CONNECTING ART TO THE CREATIVE ECONOMY AND CULTURAL TOURISM

Distinguished guests, one of the principal objectives of this transformation is to connect the arts more meaningfully with the creative economy.

The contribution of artists extends far beyond the studio and gallery. Art connects with tourism, hospitality, architecture, interior design, fashion, film, advertising, publishing, digital technology, education, entertainment, heritage management, and cultural diplomacy.

A painting can become a cultural attraction. A sculpture can transform a public space. A poem can inspire a film, while a festival can generate opportunities for hotels, restaurants, transport operators, vendors, photographers, designers, and other creative entrepreneurs.

An exhibition may generate sales, but a well-developed festival can also create employment, professional networks, partnerships, and access to new markets.

Our creativity must not only enrich the soul; it must also create sustainable opportunities for those who possess it.

We must work towards an environment where artists can earn sustainable incomes, creative entrepreneurs can build viable businesses, and young people can discover meaningful careers in the arts.

Our theme, Beyond Borders: Celebrating Our Heritage, Honouring Our Forebears, and Inspiring the Future, reminds us that culture connects humanity.

Nigeria possesses extraordinary cultural wealth, historical experiences, artistic traditions, and creative talent. We must preserve this heritage while sharing it with audiences across the world through exhibitions, performances, research, collaborations, and international cultural exchanges.

Imagine a Lagos where visitors explore our historical landmarks, engage with our artists, appreciate our contemporary art, and discover the stories that have shaped our identity.

These possibilities require cooperation among artists, government institutions, traditional authorities, educational establishments, tourism professionals, private-sector partners, and the wider public.

Culture is not a luxury. It is part of who we are, what distinguishes us, and a valuable resource for national development.

Through ORIA-FEST, we seek to build a platform where heritage meets innovation, creativity meets enterprise, and Nigerian artists connect with the wider world.

5. APPRECIATION TO OUR EXECUTIVE TEAM AND FESTIVAL PARTNERS

At this point, I wish to acknowledge the people whose commitment has helped sustain our journey since 2021.

Leadership may be visible in the person standing at the podium, but its achievements are rarely the work of one individual.

To my Vice Chairman, General Secretary, Treasurer, Financial Secretary, publicity team, welfare team, social secretaries, and every executive member who has served at different times during our 2021–2027 administration, I express my profound appreciation.

Thank you for your time, ideas, sacrifices, constructive criticism, and unwavering commitment. Thank you for standing with me through challenges, uncertainties, disappointments, and moments of achievement.

We may not have accomplished everything we envisioned, but we have continued to work towards strengthening our Society and creating better opportunities for our members.

As our administration approaches the end of its tenure, I want every executive member to know that your contributions have not gone unnoticed.

History will not be written by one person alone; it will be written through our collective efforts.

I also extend special appreciation to Prince Saheed Adelakun and his entire organising team for their dedication to bringing this year's festival to reality. Organising an event of this nature requires patience, coordination, sacrifice, and teamwork. To every committee member, volunteer, and individual who has contributed behind the scenes, thank you.

I equally recognise all past chairmen of the Society of Nigerian Artists, Lagos State Chapter, and the committees that organised and sustained October Rain from its earlier editions to the present. Each administration contributed to preserving this tradition and creating the foundation upon which we are building today.

Our sincere appreciation also goes to Mr. Qudus Onikeku, Director of the J. Randle Centre, and the entire management team for making the Centre available to us on exceptionally generous terms. Your support demonstrates the importance of partnerships between cultural institutions and artistic communities.

On behalf of the Society, I say a very big thank you for providing a welcoming environment for our artists and supporting this important cultural initiative.

To our donors, sponsors, collaborators, art patrons, media partners, and friends of the arts, we are deeply grateful. Whether you contributed financial resources, materials, professional services, publicity, logistics, advice, encouragement, or goodwill, your support has helped bring this vision closer to reality.

We invite more individuals, businesses, and institutions to partner with us in developing October Rain into a sustainable cultural platform.

Together, we can accomplish much more than we can achieve individually.

6. THE DREAM IS BIGGER THAN THE DRUMMER

Distinguished guests, permit me to share a thought that captures the spirit of this occasion:

The dream is bigger than the drummer.

It is bigger than any individual, any office, any administration, or any organisation. It is bigger than October Rain as we have known it and extends beyond the Society of Nigerian Artists, even though our Society provides the platform from which this initiative is taking flight.

This dream belongs to every artist seeking a better future for the creative profession, every young person searching for an opportunity to express a talent, every master whose knowledge deserves preservation, and every creative entrepreneur seeking a sustainable livelihood.

One person may conceive a dream, but many hands must build it. One administration may initiate the journey, but succeeding generations must sustain it.

I may stand here today to speak about this vision, but I cannot bring it to life alone. Neither can the executive committee.

We need you!

We need government support, private-sector investment, institutional partnerships, the commitment of our members, the guidance of our masters, and the participation of our younger artists.

We need partners who will not merely applaud the dream but contribute meaningfully to its realisation.

Let us move from criticism to contribution, from isolated efforts to collective action, and from good intentions to practical results.

The question is no longer simply whether this dream is possible. The question is: What role will each of us play in making it possible?

To our members, let us own this vision together. Let us strengthen our professional relationships, support one another, nurture emerging talents, and build a Society where members grow, knowledge is shared, and collective achievements are celebrated.

To our young artists, your ideas, energy, courage, and innovations are needed today. To our senior artists and masters, continue to guide us and share the wisdom of your experience. To our women in the arts and practitioners across all creative disciplines, your voices, talents, and leadership are indispensable.

To our prospective sponsors and partners, we invite you to invest in a vision that connects culture with education, tourism, enterprise, international relations, and sustainable development.

Let us work together to ensure that this festival creates value long after the exhibitions have closed and the performances have ended.

7. A FAREWELL OF GRATITUDE AND A CALL TO THE FUTURE

Ladies and gentlemen, as the 2021–2027 administration of the Society of Nigerian Artists, Lagos State Chapter, gradually winds down, I wish to speak from the heart.

Every opportunity to serve is a privilege, and every leadership responsibility is a trust.

To the entire membership of our great Association, thank you for the confidence you placed in us, your patience, constructive criticism, encouragement, and contributions to our collective progress.

To every member of the executive team, our past chairmen, senior members, younger artists, partners, and friends of the creative community, I remain profoundly grateful for the opportunity to serve alongside you.

We have faced challenges, encountered limitations, celebrated achievements, and learnt valuable lessons. Through it all, we have remained committed to advancing the interests of our artistic community.

Leadership is not about occupying an office indefinitely. It is about accepting responsibility, serving with commitment, contributing what one can, and leaving foundations upon which others can build.

As we prepare to hand over the responsibility of leadership to the next generation, my prayer is that the Society will continue to grow in unity, professionalism, relevance, and impact.

May those who follow build upon our achievements, learn from our experiences, and take the Society to even greater heights.

Our service may approach its conclusion, but our commitment to the advancement of art and culture must never end.

The future of the Society is greater than the tenure of any chairman, and its possibilities remain open to every generation willing to contribute to its growth.

8. CONCLUSION: TOGETHER, LET US MOVE BEYOND BORDERS

Distinguished guests, the true success of this inaugural festival will not be determined by today's ceremony alone, but by the opportunities we create, the partnerships we establish, the artists we support, and the legacy we leave for future generations.

With collective commitment, sound planning, sustained support, and a willingness to collaborate, October Rain International Arts Festival can grow into a recognised cultural platform that promotes Nigerian creativity and connects our artists with the wider world.

Let us build it with courage, sustain it with commitment, protect its integrity with responsibility, and expand its possibilities through collaboration.

The rain has always symbolised renewal, nourishment, and new beginnings. In that spirit, may October Rain bring fresh opportunities to our artists, renewed appreciation for our heritage, and lasting inspiration to our creative community.

May it nourish the dreams of emerging artists, honour the legacies of our departed heroes, celebrate our living legends and masters, unite creative disciplines, open doors to international cultural exchange, stimulate cultural tourism, and contribute to a future in which Nigerian creativity is celebrated at home and respected around the world.

The dream is bigger than the drummer. The vision is bigger than any one of us. The responsibility belongs to all of us.

Let us wake up to this dream. Let us connect with this vision. Let us join hands to make it a reality.

Together, let us move beyond borders.

Together, let us celebrate our heritage.

Together, let us honour our forebears and celebrate our living legends.

And together, let us inspire the future.

On this note, it gives me immense pleasure, as Chairman of the Society of Nigerian Artists, Lagos State Chapter, and Chairman and Host of this historic gathering, to welcome you to the inaugural October Rain International Arts Festival 2026.

May this festival mark the beginning of a remarkable journey for our artists, our members, Lagos State, Nigeria, and the global creative community.

-Excerpts from 'Beyond Borders: Celebrating Our Heritage, Honouring Our Forebears, and Inspiring the Future," delivered by Prince Kolawole K. Olojo-Kosoko, Chairman, Society of Nigerian Artists, (SNA), Lagos State Chapter, during the opening of 'October Rain International Arts Festival' 2026, on October 18, at J. Randle Centre for Yorùbá Culture & History, Onikan, Lagos.

Experimental still-life photography of ‘A Different Light’

 

'Cork Bottle Lamp' (still-life photography, dated 2026) by Vivian Bunmi Afolabi.

By Tajudeen Sowole 

WHILE it has been established that light is a lifeline from which photography gets its survival, photo artist Vivian Bunmi Afolabi extends the practicality with her works. Afolabi, whose work focuses what she tags as ‘still-life photography’ takes her lens art through experimental lamps.

Strokes of probity through ‘Lady by the Window’

'Lady by the Window' (oil on canvas, 61 x 76.2cm, and dated 2026) by Oluwapelumi Oluyemi.

By Tajudeen Sowole

WHEN artist, Oluwapelumi Oluyemi brushes through the minds of people to expose their deep thoughts, art and mental health converge. But her probity into inner thoughts of people comes with expanded identity as the artist’s established impressionist texture in figurative subjects adds freshness with abstracted contents.

‘I Am Just A Boy’ of resistance, combative strokes

'I Am Just a Boy' (oil on canvas, 47x34 inches, dated 2026) by John Okoye.

By Tajudeen Sowole

THE smooth brushings in figurative paintings by John Chukwuemeka Okoye are the immediate attractions, leading to increased interests in his works. In 21st century art from Africa era when most artists of his age, either by choice or circumstances of capacity, blackens figurative and portrait paintings, Okoye brushes through the resilience of realism representation.

Applications for art residency opens in Lagos

A section of La Champagne Tropicana, Lekki, Lagos.

La Campagne Tropicana Resort, Lekki, Lagos State has opened applications for the first edition of its Art Residency, a two-month programme for Nigerian artists and artisans. The residency runs from February 5-April 4, 2027 at the resort in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, as applications close on 30 November 2026.

Six artists head for maiden miniature 'Art Fair'

DESCRIBED as a miniature Art Fair, Fragments converges six artists for the maiden edition of the exhibition.

'Brave Men From Argungu 2 acrylic on canvas, 12 x 10 inches, and dated 2026) by Moses Oghagbon.

Holding from October 17-November 3, 2026 at Artlab Gallery, 8, Issac John Street, GRA, Ikeja, the fair brings contemporary Nigerian art landscape into celebrating the monumental, where grand scales dominate gallery spaces. The fair, according to Artlab Gallery pivots beautifully toward the intimate, presenting a curated selection of  miniature works that prove impact is not dictated by physical dimensions.

In a gallery statement, Timi Balogun of ArtLab explained that the fair featuring six versatile visual artists —Lekan Onabanjo, KKK Olojo, Moses Oghagbon, Olumuyiwa A. Olusola, Adewale Awesu and Paul Ayokhai—explores the thematic framework of memory, cultural documentation, identity, and everyday life broken down into distilled, concentrated compositions. "The title "Fragments" serves as an intellectual anchor, framing each miniature as an expansive universe unto itself," Balogun stated. "Miniature art demands a distinct form of spectatorship; it forces the viewer to step closer, abandoning passive observation for a quiet, highly focused engagement. In a fast-paced world, this deliberate contraction of scale acts as an intentional space for deep contemplation. Enjoy the viewing."

Ancient diaspora connection to Yoruba name origin 

 Auchi alumni regroup for 1499 art force

Self-reflection inspired olusola's watercolour

In Lagos, sculptors reconverge for Elixir 3 exhibition

From Black Figures, Black Masks' Okwuosa generates youthful visual texture

'Women of Elephant Tusk' in empowerment, cultural cohesion

How Prof Buhari captured 'Yusuf Grillo Like You've Never Seen'

Art on chessboard with Tunde Onakoya, Lanre Olagoke 

Onyeka Onwenu's last major honour in Art of Afrobeats award 

Soyinka at 90...revisiting Maya Angelou, superlatives of Nobel Prize

Separating Yoruba religious tradition from Isese (2)

Tam Fiofori, Ibrahim, Orara...leaving strong visual legacies

Akeem Balogun...expressive artist gone too soon

Uwa Usen

When Prince William, Musawa others celebrated Olagoke's MBE

Separating Yoruba religious tradition from isese

Storytelling through textile art, drawing

 

'Stories Beneath the Old Tree' (mixed media from textile art of Christianah Apanisile.

By Tajudeen Sowole

FROM modern to contemporary, artists keep proving the resilience of drawing as foundational textures of art and craft. This much of skills as a major foundation in art seems to be a strength for textile artist, Christianah Anuoluwapo Apanisile, despite her imperfection in areas such as perspective judgement.

Wake-up call to Nigerian visual arts stakeholders

Peter K. DaSilva

By Peter K. DaSilva,

This brief essay is to all stakeholders in the Visual Arts sector in Nigeria, starting from the artists, to the galleries, art schools and the policy makers in the federal and state governments. More importantly, the essay is addressed to the National Gallery of Art, being the main government agency responsible for  the promotion and preservation of the Visual Arts in the country. The agency has a great role to play in properly positioning Nigerian art not only in Nigeria but also in the world.

Metaphorical lines in ‘The Orders of Things’

'Hidden Convergence' (photography) by Oluwatosin Bakre.

By Tajudeen Sowole

AS one of the basics of creating art, the aesthetics value of line keeps proving its resilience as seen in the photography works of Oluwatosin Bakre. Thematically, her works also apply line in analogous context that cuts across many aspects of human encounters.

With new instructors, Winarc Summer Class celebrates future masters

Participants at Winarc Summer Class 2026 and the facilitators.

STARTED ten years ago, Winarc Summer Art Class, at Peace Estate, Ipaja, Lagos has every reason to celebrate its journey.

"I'm grateful to God that my dream is coming to reality," Winarc Studio Founder, Archie-Abia Godwin stated shortly after the 2026 edition. "This experience has been interesting and innovative, particularly now that we have two new energetic artists and instructors, Temitope Victoria Ogunwale and Enoch Makinde." 

Collapsing art, craft boundaries with woven contemporaneity

By Tajudeen Sowole 

'Woven Together' (coral beads) by Kent Osaro Uwadiae.

 

THE more attempts to define the difference between art and craft as something confined in critical appreciation, the smaller is the barrier between the two. For each genre of artistic expression, contemporaneity is the measure through which art and craft can be collapsed to allow broader appreciation, according to works of Kent Osaro Uwadiae.