This exhibition marks a special occasion: the 80th birthday of El Anatsui in 2024 and the 50th anniversary of his arrival in Nigeria in 2025. Anatsui, a Ghanaian artist of global acclaim, has left an indelible mark on the Nigerian art scene since joining the Department of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1975.
His innovative approach to sculpture, rooted in the vibrant intellectual environment of Nsukka, has inspired countless artists and played a central role in the formation of the Aka Circle of Exhibiting Artists. The exhibition is also an occasion to honor the deceased members of the group and examine the group’s pivotal legacy
THE renowned collective,Aka Circle of Exhibiting Artists, returns to Lagos culture circuit from October 31 through November 3, courtesy Ko Gallery, located on Cameron Road, Ikoyi.
The tribe is reconvening in honour of one of them, El Anatsui, who was 80 recently, through an exhibition themed, “Kindred Spirits: A Gathering of the Aka Circle of Artists” curated by Iheanyi Onwuegbucha, and featuring works of 15 members of including Obiora Udechukwu, Chike Aniakor, Chris Afuba, Obiora Anidi, Ifedioramma Dike, Tayo Adenaike, Chike Ebebe, Chris Echeta, Nsikak Essien, Bona Ezeudu, Boniface Okafor, Chika Okeke-Agulu, Samson Uchendu, and Tony Umunna, ad El-Anatsui himself.
A climax of the gathering will be the lecture by Professor Chika Okeke-Agulu (Robert Schirmer Professor of Art and Archaeology and African American Studies, Director, Program in African Studies and Director, Africa World Initiative, Princeton University) on Sunday, November 3, 2024, 4 pm, at Wheatbaker Hotel, 4 Lawrence Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Curator of the exhibition, Iheanyi Onwuegbucha, said in a statement: “The exhibition will not only reunite the Aka Circle after a 19-year hiatus but will also show the new artistic directions its members have taken since their last gathering.”
The exhibition, also, “hopes to capture the sense of community Anatsui enjoyed in Nigeria and highlights some of the artists who stimulated him intellectually and artistically. It provides an opportunity to reflect on the cross-fertilization of ideas between artists in post-war Eastern Nigeria and how African artists have continually pushed the boundaries of artistic exploration in response to the postcolonial condition.”
FOUNDED in 1985 by El Anatsui and Obiora Udechukwu, the Aka Circle of Exhibiting Artists was a pioneering force in Nigeria’s contemporary art scene between 1986 and 2000. The group, known for their radical studio experiments challenging Western art orthodoxies, held its inaugural exhibitions in Enugu and Lagos in 1986 and continued to make waves until its last exhibition in 2005.
In choosing Aka (the Igbo word for hand) as the rallying symbol for their group, the artists, who were brought together by the desire to create works of art regularly and exhibit together every year, were intentional about their desire to maintain individuality in their art. Throughout their peak period, they maintained that Aka was not an art movement or a school but a forum for the interaction of kindred spirits.
In the 20th century, artists around the world formed collectives, driven by a shared desire to collaborate and support each other and exchange ideas, stylistics influences, and theoretical frameworks. In Nigeria during the economic downturn of the 1980s, with reduced institutional support, a disorganized civil service, and successive military dictatorships, the Aka Circle artists, like their peers across Africa, built relationships with colleagues in the former Anambra State (now Enugu and Anambra States). These connections helped them refine their skills and support each other in line with international trends and professional standards. The Aka Circle’s annual exhibitions provided a platform for this collaboration, while their regular meetings helped maintain their goals and focus.