NIGERIA NOW
EMERGING TRENDS OF CONTEMPORARY ART IN NIGERIA

ART AFRICA MIAMI, 4-9 DECEMBER 2012

919 NW 2ND AVE.

MIAMI, FLORIDA, USA


Contemporary art in Nigeria is at the cusp of an explosion. Over the last two decades, there has been a paradigm shift in artistic practices in the country and an embrace of new modes of expression. A new generation of emerging artists adopt a conceptual framework and the tools to use art as a vehicle for cultural expression and social change. Gone are the compartmentalized restrictions of medium specificity and a strict embrace of a mastery of technical skill. Contemporary artists in Nigeria today adopt a hybrid discipline of artistic forms, one where the conceptual threads of their message are articulated, debated, and made paramount.

Nigeria Now includes the work of eleven Nigerian artists who collectively represent the dominant movements in contemporary art in Nigeria today. These artists examine the social and political landscape of Nigeria and of the African continent. They question the role of the African artist in a global environment. They look to the influences of technology and the digital revolution and its impact on collective world view. Moreover, they look to the history of art in Africa and its preconceptions, and they reflect on the tension between traditional African art practices and values and their relevance in contemporary society. They look to the past and to the cultural history of Nigeria; they look at the present and current social ills. They envision a different future and actively take part in its construction. With the fast pace of change occurring in Nigeria today, including the expansion of urban population centers and an explosion of development and technology that is dissolving barriers and leading to new types of interactions, Nigeria Now reflects on the political, social, economic, environmental, and personal implications of our actions in Nigeria today.

Participating Artists: Joseph Eze, Ike Francis, Taiye Idahor, Obinna Makata, Chike Obeagu, Demola Ogunajo, Richardson Ovbiebo, Alafuro Sikoki, Stephan Areuze Ubaka, Bob-Nosa Uwagboe, Uche Uzorka
 

Chike Obeagu. The Burden I Bear. 2010. Mixed media photo-collage. 24 x 28 inches.