A-ARTs: Anayo, Intersection 360 debut with 'Beautiful in My Own Skin'

'She Go Say I Be Lady II (charcoal on paper, 22 x 15 inches, dated 2024) by Achike Anayo.

By Ola Alowoloke

WHEN artist, Achike Anayo and gallery The Intersection 360 hold their debut exhibition, they have something in common in the courage and beauty of the female gender.

The connection for Anayo and the gallery is the artist's olo art exhibition titled Beautiful in My Own Skin, to be on display from November 15-27, 2025 at The Intersection 360, 23 Ribadu Road, Off Awolowo Road Ikoyi, Lagos.

The host expressed its excitement, saying that the event provides "The Intersection 360 art gallery to officially open its doors with a debut exhibition of such depth and resonance." Toye Bernard, AGM, Asset Management Group and Murtala Muhammed Foundation stated that the gallery is born from the shared commitment of the organisation. He disclosed how the gallery was conceived as a dedicated home for contemporary visual artists, but more importantly, as a powerful conduit for social change.

"Our mission is to actively drive crucial societal change—be it in humanitarianism, effective leadership, good governance, women empowerment, or environmental sustainability—by leveraging the power and perspective of visual art," Bernard explained. "This is why Achike Anayo’s collection Beautiful in My Own Skin, is not just an artistic presentation; it is the powerful realization of our foundational mission."

Bernard hailed the exhibition as Anayo's "landmark showcase," of female empowerment, socio-economic independence, and the enduring celebration of the authentic self." According to Bernard, the focus of the theme "aligns perfectly with the ethos championed by our patron, Dr. Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, whose life’s work is dedicated to advancing women’s leadership and well-being."

Curator of Beautiful in My Own Skin Adetiloye Jekami, disclosed that 19 artworks of Anayo for the exhibition explore narratives of love, courage, resilience, and hope within the Nigerian social landscape. "The works ask to embrace everything that makes you you: the broken, the bruised, the black/colored, the big, the slim, the bold," Jekami stated on his Curatorial Note. "Skin in this exhibition is more than just a surface; it is a profound symbolism of who we are and where we might reside. It is the boundary that holds our stories, our histories, and our potential."

The curator explained that through the artist's distinctive visual language, especially in acrylic on canvas and collage, the themes challenge prevailing notions of comparison and external, perfection. Jekami added that Beautiful in My Own Skin comes with "a bold, vital claim that in the midst of the good or the bad, the happy or the sad, the thriving or the yet-to-be success: beauty exists. The curator noted that the exhibition points to the strength of the self and the collective Anayo’s practice transcends portraiture and figurative expression, evolving instead into an active process of affirmation, resistance, and social reflection.

"The profound depth of Anayo’s debut solo exhibition, Beautiful in My Own Skin, originates from a place of truth that mirrors my own story, and that is why I chose to bring it to life," Jekami stated. "Every brushstroke, every echoing narrative speaks to something I have felt, something I have lived. And that, ultimately, is the power of art: it must be felt by every element involved: the artist, the curator, the collector, and the viewer."

The curator concluded with the hope that "viewing these works, whether in person or online, will strengthen your mind and bring profound healing to your "skin," no matter what that term symbolizes in your life."

National Museum's iconic car of Murtala Muhammed