Kindred Spirits: A Gathering of the Aka Circle of Artists  

kó is pleased to present Kindred Spirits: A Gathering of the Aka Circle of Artists, featuring the work of fifteen artists of the renowned Aka Circle of Exhibiting Artists. 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. This exhibition, which brings the group together for the first time in nearly two decades, is curated by Iheanyi Onwuegbucha. It celebrates the diverse creative directions of the group's fifteen members, who, through four decades of artistic exploration, have continuously expanded the boundaries of contemporary Nigerian art.

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.

(L) Chike Aniakor, Untitled, c. 1998, Watercolour and ink on paper, 46 x 76 cm.

(R) Tayo Adenaike, Up there, down here, 1985, Watercolour on paper, 56 x 76 cm.

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.

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.

According to the exhibition curator Iheanyi Onwuegbucha: “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.” Onwuegbucha notes that the exhibition “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.”

(L) Obiora Udechukwu, Musician, 1994, Acrylic on canvas, 121 x 92 cm.

(R) Ifedioramma Dike, The Night Bird, 1985, Tapestry, 63 x 133 cm.

This exhibition will feature a Public Lecture by Professor Chika Okeke-Agulu (Robert Schirmer Professor of Art and Archaeology and African American Studies, and Director, Africa World Initiative, Princeton University) titled “Community and the Individual Talent: El Anatsui and the Aka Circle of Artists” on Sunday, November 3, 2024, 4 PM, at Wheatbaker Hotel, Rufkatu Room, 4 Lawrence Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

RSVP FOR PUBLIC LECTURE HERE

Accompanying Publication
In conjunction with the exhibition, a seminal book on the Aka Circle of Exhibiting Artists, edited by Iheanyi Onwuegbucha will be published by Skira Editore, Bologna, Italy. The publication, to be released in 2025, will offer a critical evaluation of the Aka Circle and its members over the past forty years. It will feature essays by notable scholars including Chike Aniakor, Dele Jegede, Olu Oguibe, Sylvester Ogbechie, Chika Okeke-Agulu, Okechukwu Nwafor, Jess Castelotte, Perrin Lathrop, Rebecca Wolff, Ozioma Onuzulike, Anthony Nsofor, Osei Bonsu, and Iheanyi Onwuegbucha.

About the Curator

Iheanyi Onwuegbucha is a curator and art historian with a focus on modern and contemporary African art. He is a PhD candidate at Princeton University, where his research examines the history of the Nsukka School which includes members of the Aka Circle of Artists. He is also co-investigator of Museumverse, a student-led project group at Princeton University that connects art and cultural institutions with emerging digital and virtual technologies. He was a 2016 Chevening Scholar at the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies, University of Leeds, earning an M.A. in Art Gallery and Museum Studies. He also received an M.A. in Art History from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and an M.A. in Art History, Criticism and Conservation from Princeton University.

Onwuegbucha’s curatorial practice is informed by his research on the dynamic relationship between historical context and contemporary artistic expressions in Africa. He was the curator and acting Artistic Director of the Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos. He was also the guest curator for the inaugural exhibitions of the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art, Pan Atlantic University, Lagos, and consulting art curator for the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, Lagos. He has curated numerous exhibitions in and outside Nigeria including Samuel Fosso: Affirmative Acts at the Princeton University Art Museum (With Chika Okeke-Agulu and others); Samuel Fosso: The Man with a Thousand Faces at the Walther Collection, Neu-Ulm (with Clothilde Morette and Clara Stratmann); Diaspora at Home at the Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos and Kadist, Paris (with Sophie Potelon); Layers at Labanque, Bethune France; Ozioma Onuzulike: Seed Yams of Our Land at CCA, Lagos and Lineaguage: Linear Imagery | Textual Allegories at CCA, Lagos among others. He is currently working on a book project on the Aka Circle of Artists to be published by Skira Editore, Milan. He is a Predoctoral Fellow at the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C..

The Private Preview will take place on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, 6-8 PM (by invitation). The exhibition will open to the public on Thursday, October 31, 2024. The gallery is open Tuesday-Saturday, 11 AM-6 PM.

The Private Preview is supported by Le Connaisseur.