Artwork exhibition in London captures trauma of Nigerian youths

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The 2018 START Art Fair hosted by the
prestigious Saatchi Gallery in London
ended on a good note, with three cutting
edge contemporary artists from Nigeria,
capturing socio-political and emotional
trauma experienced by Nigerian youths.
SMO Contemporary Art being one of only
two galleries that represented Africa, had
its booth exhibition title as InBETWEEN.
InBETWEEN showcased paintings by Nengi
Omuku, and mixed media works by Ngozi
Omeje and Olumide Onadipe.
The START Art Fair held from September
13-16 focused on discovering and
presenting ‘tomorrow’s art today’,
with specially curated projects from the
Far East and Europe at the ultra-modern
exhibition space in the heart of the
London Chelsea district.
SMO Contemporary Art was invited to
participate and exhibit works by
emerging contemporary artists from the
continent as a way of increasing
diversity, and showcasing new creative
directions.
“inBETWEEN highlights the socio-
political and emotional state of Africa’s
youth who often find themselves “in-
between”, whether waiting for
admission to school, yearning to travel,
searching for employment….or in-
between racial, ethnic or gender divides
at the margins of society and stereotypic
consciousness.”
A product of the Slade School of Fine Art,
London, Nengi Omuku presented
amorphous presences with afro-centric
hairstyles and abstracted internal
mindscapes which allude to wider
themes of identity, mental journeying
and mutual belonging. Omuku’s colour
palette acts as a subtext for transforming
the human figure and exploring fluid
states of inBETWEEN.
One of Nigeria’s most exciting ceramic
installation artists and ceramics lecturer
at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Ngozi
Omeje’s works were titled Unbooked.
Unbooked, a mixed media installation
created out of hundreds of nylon threads
and pieces of plastic flip-flops was
inspired by the sea of undocumented
migrants across the world. She employed
string to explore the frailty of life
through the use of suspended forms and
configurations which are still connected
to universal experiences.
Olumide Onadipe, an experimental artist
fascinated by textures and environmental
themes, presented intricate mixed media
sculptures created out of ubiquitous
plastic bags which litter global
megacities like Lagos. His works explored
the social, political and economic realities
of migrating populations, affected by
territorial encroachment and insecurity,
forced labour, consumerism, and
environmental pollution.
Founder & Artistic Director of SMO,
Sandra Mbanefo Obiago who has focused
on presenting art outside traditional
gallery settings since 2011 stated that:
“We are delighted to present a unique
perspective on important global issues
such as migration, identity, and
belonging, from a local viewpoint, and
using materials which are either
overlooked, or increasingly pollute our
environment.”
Obiago added that African artists are
some of the most important
ambassadors Africa has, considering their
commitment towards projecting real and
often very positive stories onto global
platforms with fresh, colorful energy.