Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe, Obi of Onitsha (r), and Tony Agbapuonwu, curator of the exhibition.
When six artists converge for new understandings of humanity and connecting with ancestral roots, their focus will include engaging process of healing, restoring collective and personal equilibriums.
The group exhibition titled Anyanwu: The New Light, showing from September 6-28, 2025, at National Museum, Onikan, Lagos showcases works of multiple mediums, reclaiming marginalised narratives surrounding Africa’s ancestral legacy and history. Organised by Art Bridge Project, the group exhibition presents works of Emmah Mbanefo, Chinwe Uwatse, Obi Okigbo, JC Bright, Mobolaji Otuyelu, and Chiagoziem Orji who present a multisensory experience. Their works also bring intergenerational convergence centered around the intersection of human destiny, cosmic forces and the metaphysical philosophies embedded in Igbo cosmology.
Among the works for the exhibition are Mbanefo’s sculpture Ókpùlúkpu, a sacred treasure box in Onitsha ethnography; ‘Agadi Nwanyi’ by Uwatse, which the artist described as an encapsulation of a mood, an emotion; ‘Remembrance of I AM’ as series by Okigbo, featuring collages of Kivu sculptures from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but in the collection of the African Museum in Tervuren, Belgium; Erigwara series of Bright that explore the Igbo tradition of food-sharing as a gesture of communion, memory, and kinship; large-scale clay pot with feminine features alluding to women’s role as nourishers and the healing energy of mother earth by Otuyelu; and Orji ‘s body of work titled Ike Ndu, in a series of digital paintings that channel the rhythmic energy of Igbo dance and masquerade.
Tony Agbapuonwu, curator of Anyanwu: The New Light, recalled how the journey towards the exhibition took off in 2024 during his research on modern Nigerian artists such as Aina Onabolu, Akinola Lasekan, Ben Enwonwu, Uche Okeke, Demas Nwoko, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Yusuf Grillo, as well as other members of the Zaria Art Society.
In appreciating what he described as “the energy and ideology of their works,” he got inspired “by how these master artists and their influential works embodied the notion of flux and fragility, conjuring the emotional tension of Nigeria’s transition to a sovereign nation.”
In a curatorial note, Agbapuonwu stated that the exhibition transcends its physical space, by extending into the creation of archival resources such as a book-catalogue. The documentation, he disclosed compiles the artistic works, research findings, and reflections from artists, scholars, curators and historians. Agbapuonwu, added the specifics of the documentation: “The publication is complemented with a short-film documentary about Igbo cosmology and the importance of cultural presentation in today’s world. The entire project is a celebration of the Igbo worldview, while reflecting the broader cultural matrix of Nigeria and Africa.”
Agbapuonwu explained that the exhibition reminds people of the need to be freed from self-prisons such as tribal, gender, race among others such retrogressive attitudes. He prescribed the exhibition as a portal to break down Eurocentric conventions and envision Africans as co-creators of the people’s new world.
“This ambitious project has devoted tremendous energy to field research, meticulous scholarship, and the continuum of Igbo cultural studies,” Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe, Obi of Onitsha, eulogised the gathering. “It is a celebration of our ancestral history and legacy, while reflecting the broader cultural matrix of Nigeria and Africa.”
The monarch added that “Anyanwu: The New Light embodies the transformation we collectively seek in envisioning a new Nigeria and building upon the wisdom of our ancestors. This exhibition provides a fertile platform for shifting our mindsets towards seeing art through life and life through art.”
Also, the exhibition enjoyed the support of partners such as: Ime-Obi Onitsha, National Commission for Museums and Monuments Nigeria (NCMM), Adegbola Art Projects, and National Council for Art and Culture (NCAC), the exhibition also received a royal blessing.
