A Portrait Series of Reimagined Ancestors
A Portrait Series of Reimagined Ancestors, is a contemporary visual dialogue that seeks to reanimate and contextualize the sculptural masterpieces of ancient Nigeria. Moving beyond the museum glass, we embark on a journey to bridge the chasm between artifact and ancestry, allowing the silent, revered figures of bronze and terracotta to speak through the living human form.
The Core Principle: Deliberate Juxtaposition
The core of this series lies in a deliberate, respectful juxtaposition. Iconic works from the sophisticated, lifelike naturalism of the Ife terracotta and bronze heads, embodying the spiritual and political leadership of the Yoruba, to the majestic, commemorative power of the Benin bronzes, depicting Obas and Queen Mothers cloaked in regal coral regalia—are meticulously studied and transposed onto human models.
Refusing Distortion: Restitution and Life
This is not a project of distortion, but of restitution and life. We preserve the exact contours, expressions, and stylistic integrity of the original sculptures, adding only the features necessary to restore their presence: the gaze in the eyes, the warmth in the skin, and the implied movement of a living spirit.
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Grounding Lineage: Traditional Attire
Crucially, each reimagined ancestor is grounded in their cultural lineage through the incorporation of authentic traditional attire. A Benin Oba’s imposing structure is cloaked in the weight of hand-woven velvet and thousands of coral beads.
Expanding the Scope: Nok and Confluence Forms
A figure from the Nok culture, with its distinctive triangular eyes and elaborate hairdos, is set within a landscape of ancient knowledge, adorned with early forms of beadwork and natural fibers. We also explore the elegant simplicity of figures from the Niger-Benue confluence, like the Tada/Jebba bronzes, draped in finely patterned, regional cloths.
The Ultimate Transformation: Dignified Portraits
Ultimately, A Portrait Series of Reimagined Ancestors transforms objects of historical study into vivid, dignified portraits of people.
A Living, Breathing Legacy
It is an exploration of cultural continuity, asserting that the artistry and wisdom of Nigeria’s past are not lost relics, but a living, breathing legacy waiting to be seen and celebrated in the present day.
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Ife Bronze Head
Ife Bronze Head
The Witness and the Restoration
The Awakening of Ancestors
For years, my professional life has been defined by the presence of silence. I have spent my career a journey that encompasses working on more several exhibitions, with twenty lasting installations still standing across Nigeria in intimate proximity to the nation’s greatest treasures.
An Intimate Proximity to Ancestors
I have had one-on-one interaction with these artifacts, studying the stoic bronze visages of Benin, the delicate clay contours of Ife, and the bold forms of Nok. This extensive work, especially my expertise in Nigerian object identification and the humbling experience of being part of the team that received the repatriated Benin artifacts, has revealed a profound truth: these are not mere objects; they are witnesses, ancestors frozen in a moment of history.
A Portrait Series of Reimagined Ancestors: The Response
This project, A Portrait Series of Reimagined Ancestors, is my artistic response to that silence. It is an act of breathing life back into the materials that have defined my years of service. It begins with the respectful, non-distorting transposition of the artifact’s form—its exact posture, expression, and patina—onto the living, breathing human figure.
Restoring Humanity and Legacy
The goal is to restore the humanity obscured by centuries. We take the imposing majesty of a bronze Oba and cloak the human model in the authentic traditional attire of coral and woven silk, grounding the ancestor in the living culture. The figures are not costumed models; they are reincarnations, bridging the gap between historical fact and living lineage. By seeing the ancestral face in a contemporary human, we assert that the wisdom and artistry of ancient Nigeria endure, visible not just in a museum case, but in the people of today.
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