The African Artists’ Foundation is delighted to announce “Re: Mediation”, an upcoming exhibition featuring the works of Ken Nwadiogbu and the Title Deeds collective. The exhibition, curated by Ayoola Princess, Fagbeyiro Philip, Olukosi Feranmi and Sangotoye Olayinka, will open at 4pm, on Saturday, the 26th of September at the African Artists’ Foundation.

With the endlessly drawn out discussion on the Restitution of African art, it is clear that the much-needed changes will not come through court proceedings or presidential mandates but by conscious, domestic action aimed to be more inclusive and accessible to all members of society for participation, especially the younger generation. If we hope to travel far in this fight, we must travel together.

Re: Mediation is a step in mitigating further damage this historical and cultural disconnect has caused.
Title Deeds, a collective of seven young artists who have responded to the past by creating individual bodies of work with a consciousness of history. These artists speak with distinct yet unified voices which echo the collective need of a young generation to take up the mantle of cultural progression.

From its progenitor, Ken Nwadiogbu who is questioning the objectification of culture and people, by posing thought-provoking questions on value through his mixed-media drawings to Lekan Abatan, who has personalised these ancestral objects and adorned them in modern European attire to speak on the appropriation and westernisation they have suffered in foreign lands. Magaret Otoikhine weaves over-the-top fictional narratives on how these artefacts may be retrieved through her Nollywood-esque movie posters. Emma Odumade explores the discussion through the eyes of primary school children further reinforcing the idea that this remediation is reliant on the younger generation. Maureen Uzoh speaks on the commercialisation of entire cultures for the financial satisfaction of a few elites. Wasiu Eshinlokun’s ‘The Journey I Never Want to Forget’ explores concealed embodiments of various responses towards the retrieval of the artefact slowly being uncovered. Yusuff Aina’s ‘My Visit to the British Museum’ is a recreation of an experience he had at the British Museum, able only to see objects of his ancestry by travelling to a different continent.

Re: Mediation hopes to spark conversations particularly with the younger demographic; educating us on what is at stake and persuading us to seek out ways to reconnect to our blocked memories.

“We are very pleased to be showing the works of these young talented artists at the African Artists’ Foundation, and bringing important dialogue regarding Restitution to the forefront” -The Curatorial Team (Ayoola Princess, Fagbeyiro Philip, Olukosi Feranmi and Sangotoye Olayinka)

African Artists’ Foundation
3b Isiola Oyekan
Victoria Island, Lagos

africanartists.org