Ife Mmuo : From The Spirit - Exhibition Now Open
Temple Muse is delighted to host Ife Mmuo: from the spirit, an exhibition of artworks by Olisa Nwadiogbu, curated by SMO Contemporary Art.
At the height of an exciting creative industry calendar in Lagos, Temple Muse is delighted to host Ife Mmuo: in the spirit, an exhibition of 51 paintings and drawings by Olisa Nwadiogbu, curated by SMO Contemporary Art. Nwadiogbu is an important artist of his generation, whose historically relevant works covering 32 years of artistic practice provide gravitas to the fast-paced world of contemporary African art.
Ebony Acrylic on Canvas 122cmX122cm 2022
Ife Mmuo: in the spirit includes a careful selection of recent and retrospective works on paper and canvas, and is Nwadiogbu’s first solo exhibition in eight years. The 62-year-old artist, whose style and interpretations have impressive diversity and depth, graduated with a specialization in painting from the Institute of Management & Technology (IMT) in Enugu in 1982.
Owners of the land are hewers of wood 148cmX178cm Acrylic on Canvas 2015
After a few years working as an art teacher and studio artist, Nwadiogbu joined the studio of Ben Enwonwu, Nigeria’s most important 20th Century modernist, deeply influenced by the style and philosophy of his mentor. From the early 1990s, Nwadiogbu began documenting Nigeria’s socio-political history through his work as a form of personal expression and resistance.
In Ife Mmuo: in the spirit, the artist presents historically important drawings, including never-before-seen charcoal-on-paper depictions of Nigeria’s turbulent pro-democracy years under military rule. In his series, the General Is Happy, the artist depicts the military brass winning and dining, against the background of mass protests, and the tragic fate of the Ogoni activists in Nigeria’s polluted Niger Delta in the mid-1990s.
Sense of Self III, Oil on canvas, 122 x 101 cm, 2018, Olawunmi Banjo
“I call myself a cultural activist because I believe that activism is not about carrying placards. Activism is in me. Ife Mmuo, is my expression of cultural activism, as the spirit directs me, ”
Explained Nwadiogbu in a recent interview. “Most of the things I know about Onitsha tradition, I learned from my grandmother who was a leader of the Umuada, the women and daughters of Onitsha, where I grew up. This exhibitionhonorss her memory and her deep influence on my artistic practice and my interpretation of our identity grounded in African culture and tradition.“
Pink Beret, acrylic on paper, 2020, 62.5 x 54 cm
The exhibition also includes ten self-portraits of Nwadiogbu, in which he presents himself in the iconic beret of artists with revolutionary beard, reminiscent of important local pioneers such as Prof. Dele Jegede, famous for his politically influenced art. These self-portraits are juxtaposed against a wide range of female portraits in different artistic styles, inspired by iconic African masks and traditional customs and dance.
Title Faces Medium Acrylic on newspaper on Canvas Size 151cmX243cm Year 2021.jpg
The exhibition also includes the artist’s most recent abstract works on canvas, which mark a liberating departure from the strictures of classical painting, drawing inspiration from his childhood and his grandmother’s Igbo proverbs. Ife Mmuo; in the spirit represents an important journey through Nigerian history and contemporary art by one of the country’s most talented master painters.