Nigeria’s independence on October 1, 1960, set off creative ripples across the country. Artists shook away the colonial narratives that had been forced upon them, returning to indigenous aesthetics and philosophies, re-examining them with novel sensibilities.
One movement that exemplified this cultural reclamation was the Osogbo School, which was founded by German scholar Ulli Beier and Austrian artist Susanne Wenger in the late 1950s. But it was after Nigeria gained its independence that the artists associated with the school began producing works that would go on to influence the African continent at large.
Several works from this period are on display at Abu Dhabi Art, in a section developed in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy of Nigeria.
The pieces draw from Yoruba motifs and aesthetics, applying them within a Modernist context that still feel distinctly contemporary. Works by Twins Seven Seven – for instance, Annunciation (1972) and An Ancient Goje Flute Player (1979) – show his ingenious approach to painting on stacked board, giving a kaleidoscopic sensation of depth.
Jimoh Buraimoh’s works are another example, including Ogbori Elemosho (the head of the famous king), painted in 1976, and Merry Makers from 1981. Both pieces exhibit his unique visual approach with rounded figurative forms and rippling earth tones.
Adebisi Fabunmi is represented by a pair of works.
The Ghanaian artist, who was one of the pioneering members of the Osogbo School, verged on the abstract in his works, such as the monochrome 1973 woodcut Love Bird and the vibrant 1976 oil-on-board piece Village seer.
The works collectively show how artists took their cues from local visual traditions and applied them in highly individual forms. “The Osogbo School is one of the major art schools that came out in the 1960s,” says Tola Akerele, curator of the Nigeria spotlight section at Abu Dhabi Art. “When you look at the works, they have a very contemporary feel to them.”
Seven galleries are taking part in the Nigeria spotlight. While Ko is bringing a lion’s share of the modernist works on view, the other galleries show how art in Nigeria has developed since the latter 20th century, exhibiting an eclectic mix of mediums and art forms.
Soto Gallery, for instance, is showcasing works from Uche Uzorka’s Organism series, which reflects on movements within urban landscapes in Nigeria. “His works are about the tension of living in tight spaces,” Akerele says. “They are aerial views of how people live, and migration into big cities.”
The gallery is also presenting works by Ludovic Fadairo, a Beninese artist that Akerele describes as a “master” with a profound influence on the contemporary art scene. “He works with charcoal, coffee and acrylic. A lot of his works speak on spirituality,” she says. The body of work presented at Abu Dhabi Art was produced while Fadairo was living in Japan and features motifs inspired by Japanese culture, such as samurai swords.
A pair of mixed-media works by Ayoola Gbolahan, represented by Windsor Gallery, are also on view. Threads of Time and Identity and Prayer on the Mount were both created in the past year and show Gbolahan’s unique take on texture and abstraction.
“Nigerians works, including his, are generally quite figurative, but for this market, we looked to include artists who deal with abstraction,” Akerele says.
Samuel Nnorom’s Ankara fabric sculptures, presented as potent metaphors for society, are being showcased by The 1897 Gallery. Hung on the wall, the blooming forms of knotted fabric, recall ideas like Uzorka’s Organism, but their materiality gestures towards a specific historical point.
“Samuel's work, to me, sits at the intersection of activism and the exploration of histories and legacies,” says Sosa Omorogbe, founder of The 1897 Gallery. “He uses Ankara, which is traditional fabric in Nigeria. It has a very interesting history. A lot of it is not made in Nigeria. It’s Dutch. So, what does it say about the region and our traditional wears. Are they actually ours? It’s a very interesting question.
“The Ankara that Samuel is using is scrap fabric. He’s not buying them new. He is sourcing them from things that people have thrown away,” Omorogbe adds. “What does it mean to be reinvented and reborn and take something ostensibly bad and turned it into something beautiful? He's breathed life into these fabrics.”
The Nigeria spotlight offers compelling parallels with how artistic practices evolved elsewhere in the region. The Osogbo School, for instance, had a radical pedagogy similar to the Casablanca Art School, which became a pillar of cultural decolonisation in the wider Arab world.
Nicole Asinugo, director of The Osahon Okunbo Foundation, one of the sponsors of the Nigeria spotlight, says the section is meant to encourage discussions about the parallels between artistic movements across the Middle East, South Asia and Africa regions.
“A lot of the times, the art world has a western gaze, whereas in the MEASA, we should discover what we’re doing in each region and converge,” Asinugo says. “Abu Dhabi Art is the perfect springboard for that kind of collaboration. It is the foundation for a bridge between potential and purpose.”
