ORI Brings 30 Nigerian Sculptors Together at Quintessence Gallery

By Udemma Chukwuma 

What can the human head tell us about who we are, what we inherit and who we are becoming? These questions lie at the heart of ORI II, the second edition of the biennial of contemporary Nigerian sculpture, which brings 30 Nigerian sculptors, masters and rising talents alike to Quintessence Gallery in Lagos, Nigeria.

Drawing from the Yoruba understanding of Ori, the inner head associated with consciousness, character, selfhood and destiny, the exhibition looks beyond the physical head to explore identity, memory, ancestry, belief, psychological experience, leadership and aspiration.

In a contemporary art scene where painting and photography often dominate the conversation, ORI II makes a daring claim for sculpture: that works created in metal, wood, clay, ceramics and found materials have just as much power to make bold statements and document time.

Curated by Ato Arinze and Uche Obasi, ORI II opens with a reception on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 4 p.m. at Quintessence Gallery, 285 Akin Olugbade Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria, and runs until September 13, 2026.

At its core, ORI II considers identity not as something fixed, but as something continually shaped through the relationship between the individual, community, ancestry and the present. The participating artists approach the subject through different materials and visual languages, fragmenting, elongating, masking, distorting and reconstructing the human head to give physical form to experiences and ideas that are often intangible.

Among the participating artists are Izuka Joy Chidinma, Christiana Odunayo, Oluwatoyin C. Obafemi, Ayomide Faleye Deborah, Bieni Isaiah Uche, Dr. Adeola Balogun, Adeogun David, Philip Obafemi, Ogundare Anuoluwa, Ohiolei Ohiwerei, Raheem Owolabi, Obadina B. Affiko, Endurance Omoloja, Emeka Onwuegbu, Osaze Osayende, O'dare Adenuga, Osaro Udegbe, Chris Onaivi Ekuafeh, Kingsley Ebunyebe, Joseph Olabisi, Chibuzor V. Uzoma, Professor Lasisi Lamidi, Uchenna Eugene, Okezie Okafor and Ato Arinze.

Also featuring are Djakou Kassi Nathalie, whose ceramic practice brings a sensitivity to form, and Adebimpe Adebambo, who transforms plastics and other found, sustainable materials into vibrant mixed-media reliefs. Their approaches demonstrate the breadth of materials and possibilities currently being explored within Nigerian sculpture.

A significant part of ORI II is its intergenerational dialogue. Special Guest Artist Ekpeyong “Koko” Ayi and Guest Artist Patrick Agose, two veteran sculptors with decades of experience in realistic figure and portrait sculpture, bring their knowledge and experience into conversation with the work of younger practitioners.

Their participation provides a link between generations of Nigerian sculptural practice while creating an opportunity for knowledge transfer and mentorship. It also reinforces one of the exhibition’s broader aims: to recognise the depth of Nigeria’s sculptural tradition while making room for new ideas and approaches.

ORI II also highlights the participation of six female sculptors, reflecting the growing presence and contribution of women within the field. Their inclusion adds to the range of perspectives represented in a gathering of artists working across different generations, materials and artistic approaches.

Building on the inaugural edition, ORI II establishes the biennial as a recurring platform for critical engagement with contemporary Nigerian sculpture. Through its focus on the human head, the exhibition moves beyond representation to consider questions of identity, consciousness and belonging.

Presented in partnership with Quintessence Gallery and ArtO Studio, founded by Ato Arinze in 2022. ORI II continues a commitment to concept-driven exhibitions and the development of Nigerian art.

Selected works from ORI II, the second biennial of contemporary Nigerian sculpture.
Images courtesy of the organisers.

"Fragments of Our Existence" Brings Four Artists Together at Alexis Galleries

By our reporter 

Fragments of Our Existence, a group exhibition, brings together Ebuka Anyiam, Celesta Jonah, Idris Olabode Opeyemi and Okediji Femi at Alexis Galleries in Lagos, Nigeria, this September. The exhibition opens on Saturday, September 19, 2026, and runs until October 3 at Alexis Galleries, 282 Akin Olugbade Street, off Idowu Martins, Victoria Island. 

Chris Tembele Turns a Vacant Lot into an Altar of Ashes

By Udemma Chukwuma 

Chris Tembele enters already transformed, his body wrapped and his face entirely obscured beneath a fan of palm fronds. In a costume that reads less like disguise and more like abdication, he empties himself of his own individual identity so that he can become an officiant, a vessel through whom grief for absent parents can move rather than a performer grieving on their behalf. 

Christopher Ankeli Dissolves Lagos Into Water

By Udemma Chukwuma

Christopher Ankeli's watercolours are built around a contradiction. He paints recognisable places, streets, buildings, vehicles, pedestrians, electric poles, markets, yet he continually prevents them from becoming fully fixed. Buildings dissolve into washes. Roads become pools of pigment. Cars lose their hard edges. People appear less like individual portraits than passing presences. The more familiar the scene, the more elusive it becomes.

This is particularly striking in his treatment of Lagos, one of Nigeria's most visually overwhelming cities. Its streets are crowded with vehicles, traders, buildings, signs and competing movements, yet Ankeli repeatedly quietens that chaos, translating noise into atmosphere. Traffic becomes rhythm. Crowds become silhouettes. Roads become reflections. Rain becomes a visual language.

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