Anyanwu: The New Light – Group Show

Art Bridge Project Presents Anyanwu: The New Light, A Celebration of Igbo Worldview and the Broader Cultural Matrix of Nigeria and Africa

Art Bridge Project presents Anyanwu: The New Light, a multisensory experience and intergenerational group exhibition centered around the intersection of human destiny, cosmic forces and the metaphysical philosophies embedded in Igbo cosmology. The exhibition raises awareness about new understandings of humanity and connecting with ancestral roots as a process of healing, and restoring collective and personal equilibriums.

Anyanwu: The New Light brings together a diverse range of artists working across multiple mediums and reclaiming marginalised narratives surrounding Africa’s ancestral legacy and history. In the exhibition, Emmah Mbanefo presents a sculpture rooted in Onitsha ethnography and functions as a treasure box for invoking the spirit of ancestors. Chinwe Uwatse draws from her affinity with the traditional uli designs to offer a social commentary on the Nigerian Civil War and the ethos of womanhood. Obi Okigbo stages an artistic intervention for African artefacts frozen in the collection of Western museums, while reflecting on the ancestral legacy and knowledge systems embedded in these objects. JC Bright presents a new body of work from his Erigwara series, which explores the Igbo tradition of food-sharing as a gesture of communion, memory, and kinship. Mobolaji Otuyelu engages with the notion of sankofa to create a life-size claypot as a vessel of remembrance and connecting with Mother Earth, alluding to women’s role as nourishers and the healing energy of nature. Chiagoziem Orji channels the electrical charge and rhythmic force of Igbo dance and masquerades to create digital paintings where each dancer embodies their Chi (guardian angel) as their spiritual force.

To transcend the physical exhibition, Anyanwu: The New Light culminates in the creation of archival resources, including a book-catalogue, compiling the artistic works, research findings, and reflections from artists, scholars, curators and historians. The publication is complemented with a short-film documentary about Igbo cosmology and the importance of cultural presentation in today’s world. The entire project is a celebration of the Igbo worldview, while reflecting the broader cultural matrix of Nigeria and Africa.

Curated by Tony Agbapuonwu, this landmark cultural project is made possible with the institutional support of Ime-Obi Onitsha, National Commission for Museums and Monuments Nigeria, ADEGBOLA Art Projects, National Council for Art and Culture.

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