Nigerian artist and scholar Chika Okeke-Agulu will explore themes of political repression, democratic aspirations, migration and personal memory through a retrospective exhibition opening at the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA) in Lagos on November 1.

Titled Freedom Bird, the exhibition will run until January 31, 2027, bringing together works spanning more than three decades, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, poems, diary entries, photographs and archival materials.

Presented by YSMA, Pan-Atlantic University, in collaboration with SMO Contemporary Art, the exhibition will examine how Nigeria’s political experiences and the artist’s personal journey have shaped his creative practice.

The organisers say the exhibition will also provide an opportunity for audiences to engage with Okeke-Agulu primarily as an artist, beyond his internationally recognised work as an art historian, critic and curator.

Art as a record of Nigeria’s political history

Okeke-Agulu’s artistic practice emerged during the military regimes of the 1980s and 1990s, a period marked by political repression, civic struggles and demands for democratic governance.

His works have engaged with these experiences, while his subsequent migration to the United States introduced questions of displacement, exile, memory and belonging into his artistic vocabulary.

The exhibition will trace the evolution of these themes from the late 1980s to the present, connecting Nigeria’s postcolonial experience with the continuing search for freedom, identity and new opportunities.

Its title, Freedom Bird, comes from a recurring motif in the artist’s visual and poetic work. According to the organisers, the motif reflects freedom as an aspiration continually shaped by political struggle, personal experience and artistic expression.

Since the early 1990s, Okeke-Agulu’s work has featured in solo, collaborative and group exhibitions in Nigeria, the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia. These include presentations at the National Museum in Lagos, Goethe-Institut Lagos, Whitechapel Art Gallery in London, the first Johannesburg Biennale and the Newark Museum.

Why the exhibition matters beyond the art world

The retrospective brings together two strands of Okeke-Agulu’s career: his studio practice and his scholarship on Nigerian and African modern and contemporary art.

He is the Robert Schirmer Professor of Art and Archaeology and African American Studies at Princeton University in the United States, where he also directs the university’s Africa World Initiative.

An art historian, critic, curator, poet and educator, he has written or co-written influential studies of artists including El Anatsui, Yusuf Grillo and Obiora Udechukwu.

He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2022 and served as Slade Professor of Fine Art at the University of Oxford in 2023.

The exhibition is expected to offer students, researchers, artists and members of the public an opportunity to consider how art can preserve historical experiences, question dominant narratives and encourage conversations about society.

For a country whose political history has been shaped by military rule, democratic transitions and continuing debates about civic responsibility, the exhibition places artistic expression within a wider conversation about how Nigerians understand their past and imagine their future.

YSMA positions exhibition within educational mission

Dr Jess Castellote, director of YSMA, said the exhibition reflects the museum’s commitment to helping audiences understand art through research, historical context and public dialogue.

“YSMA was conceived as a museum where art is not simply seen, but studied, questioned and understood. Freedom Bird embodies that philosophy in an exceptional way because Chika Okeke-Agulu’s artistic practice and intellectual work are inseparable from some of the most important conversations about Nigerian and African art today. Bringing this exhibition to YSMA gives us the opportunity to place the artist, his work and the historical questions that shaped them in conversation with our students, researchers and the wider public. It is precisely the kind of exhibition that demonstrates what an educational museum can contribute to the cultural life of Nigeria.”

The exhibition will be curated by Iheanyi Onwuegbucha, an assistant professor of African and Caribbean modern and contemporary art at the University of Cambridge, with Sandra Mbanefo-Obiago serving as associate curator.

Onwuegbucha previously served as guest curator for YSMA’s inaugural exhibitions in 2019. His research and curatorial work have focused on African modern and contemporary art, including the Nsukka School, which was also the subject of his doctoral research at Princeton University.

He has curated and co-curated exhibitions in Nigeria, Europe and the United States, including *Samuel Fosso: Affirmative Acts* at the Princeton University Art Museum.

Explaining the thinking behind Freedom Bird, Onwuegbucha said the exhibition grew from his sustained engagement with the artist’s work and the historical experiences of his generation.

“Freedom Bird grew out of a sustained engagement with Chika Okeke-Agulu’s work and the historical and intellectual questions surrounding the generation of artists shaped by the Nsukka School and Nigeria’s turbulent postcolonial history. For an artist who has played no small role in producing exhibition and scholarship on other artists of the Nsukka school, while excluding himself, the exhibition allows us to encounter Okeke-Agulu not only through the lens of his celebrated scholarship, but through his art because he is first an artist before becoming a scholar. Presenting this exhibition at YSMA is particularly important to me not only because of the museum’s commitment to connecting art with research, education and public discourse but because it is a homecoming for the artist.”

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SMO highlights freedom, leadership, civic responsibility

SMO Contemporary Art is co-presenting the exhibition as part of its work promoting modern and contemporary African art to local and international audiences.

The Lagos-based platform has worked on exhibitions, art advisory, collection management and the preservation of cultural heritage. Between 2021 and 2024, it conserved and curated more than 80 large-scale modernist artworks at the refurbished National Theatre and created an archive of historic objects dating back to FESTAC ’77.

Sandra Mbanefo-Obiago, founder and creative director of SMO Contemporary Art, said the exhibition was intended to encourage reflection on freedom, social justice and collective responsibility.

“We consider Freedom Bird a pivotal exhibition to challenge us to think more deeply about our individual and collective responsibility towards building a more equitable world, touching on issues such as nation building, freedom and social justice. Chika Okeke-Agulu’s fourty year journey as artist and social critic is especially timely when we grapple with questions about leadership, followership and civic responsiblitiy, against the backdrop of a rich body of incredibly important historic artworks which document our political history. Freedom Bird is probably one of the most important contemporary art showcases held in a museum in Nigeria for many years.”

Her remarks position the exhibition as an opportunity to consider the relationship between artistic expression, political history and the responsibilities of citizens in shaping society.

What visitors can expect

Beyond the artworks, Freedom Bird will feature a specially curated public programme of conversations on Nigeria’s political and cultural history, as well as the role of artists as witnesses to and participants in public life.

The exhibition is supported by sponsors, including TEMPLARS, a leading African law firm.

It will be held at the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art, Pan-Atlantic University, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, from November 1, 2026, to January 31, 2027.

For visitors, the retrospective offers an opportunity to encounter the work of a Nigerian artist whose creative practice connects personal memory with the country’s wider historical experience.

Twenty-five art students from Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech) are developing creative ideas around mental health and resilience after a workshop that explored how visual art can help young people communicate emotions, social pressures and other difficult experiences.

The two-day Health Story Lab, organised by the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA) at Pan-Atlantic University in collaboration with the Art for Health Initiative (AHI), took place in Lagos on October 2 and 3, 2026.

The programme brought together art, public health, mental health and storytelling under the theme What We Carry: Stories of Mental Health and Resilience.

The participating students, from Yabatech’s Epe Annex, examined how artistic expression could help audiences engage with mental health issues beyond conventional health campaigns and clinical information.

Why the organisers are using art to discuss mental health

Mental health conversations can be difficult, particularly when people struggle to find the words to describe their emotions or feel uncomfortable discussing their experiences openly.

The Health Story Lab was designed to explore how creative expression could offer another way to encourage reflection, empathy and dialogue without requiring people to disclose private experiences.

Students considered how stress, uncertainty, social pressure, family expectations, grief, fear and hope could be explored through artistic practice.

The initiative also emphasised responsible storytelling, including avoiding stigma and harmful stereotypes when representing sensitive health experiences.

Participants were not required to share personal trauma publicly, reflecting the programme’s approach to creating a safe space for creative exploration.

What students learnt during the workshop

The programme featured sessions led by specialists in public health, mental health, art and museum education.

Public health strategist Dr Olayinka Badmus discussed the role of art in health communication, while psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr Emmanuel Abayomi led a session on mental health and resilience.

Art Project Lead Temitope Oladeji guided participants through expressing emotions and experiences through art. Art historian and museum educator Charles Udeh also led a curated tour of the museum, focusing on art for social change.

The sessions encouraged students to consider how their work could communicate health-related ideas and prompt conversations among their peers and wider audiences.

After the discussions, the participants developed creative concepts and presented their ideas for feedback from facilitators and fellow students.

Museum sees new role for creative expression

For the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art, the programme represents its first initiative specifically designed to use art as a platform for exploring public health and mental health.

Solomon Nkwagu, head of corporate communication and visitors’ services at YSMA, said the workshop helped students recognise that their artistic practice could serve purposes beyond aesthetic expression.

“What made this experience particularly powerful was watching the students realise that their art could do more than communicate an aesthetic idea,” Nkwagu said.

“They began to see the possibility of using their creative voices to start conversations around public and mental health, to tell stories that people can recognise themselves in, and perhaps even to create moments of reflection and healing for others. That shift in perspective was one of the most rewarding parts of the programme.”

He said the initiative also reflected the museum’s interest in creating opportunities for people to engage with social issues through art.

“For YSMA, this is an important direction. Museums can create the conditions for people to encounter ideas differently. In this case, we brought art into conversation with public health and mental health, and gave young artists the opportunity to imagine what that intersection could look like through their own work.”

The collaboration positions the museum not only as a space for viewing and preserving art but also as a setting for learning and public engagement.

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A different approach to health communication

Chidera Rosecamille Aneke, founder of the Art for Health Initiative, said the project was based on the belief that health communication could become more accessible and meaningful when it incorporated creativity and lived experiences.

“We wanted to create a space where young artists could understand that health is not only communicated through statistics, campaigns or clinical information. It can also be communicated through stories, images, symbols, emotions and lived experiences,” she said.

“Working with the students showed us the possibilities that emerge when artists are given the knowledge, language and space to think about health through their own creative practice.”

AHI works at the intersection of art, creative innovation, artificial intelligence and public health communication. Its approach brings together artists, journalists, educators, health professionals and communities to explore ways of making health information more accessible and culturally relevant.

The workshop reflects an approach in which young creatives can contribute to health communication by translating complex issues into visual stories that audiences can interpret and discuss.

However, the effectiveness of the approach will depend partly on how audiences respond to the resulting artworks and whether the exhibition generates meaningful conversations beyond the workshop.

Exhibition planned for November

The participating students are expected to develop original artworks inspired by the workshop’s discussions and creative exercises.

The works will form a micro-exhibition in Lagos later in November 2026. The organisers said the exact date would be announced in due course.

The exhibition is expected to bring the students’ interpretations of mental health and resilience to a wider audience, creating an opportunity for visitors to engage with the issues through the perspectives of emerging artists.

Rather than approaching mental health solely as a clinical subject, the exhibition will explore the emotions, pressures, hopes and experiences that people carry and how these can be expressed creatively.

The planned showcase will also provide an opportunity to assess how the students translate the workshop’s lessons into finished artworks and how those works might encourage public discussion.

For now, the project has moved from facilitated conversations to the development of original creative concepts. The November exhibition will be the next stage in testing how those ideas can connect with audiences outside the classroom and museum workshop.

About the organisers

The Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art at Pan-Atlantic University is an art institution focused on exhibitions, education, research and cultural engagement. Its collection spans different periods, and its programmes are designed to encourage public access to and understanding of art.

The Art for Health Initiative is a Nigerian nonprofit that develops creative approaches to public health communication, working with artists and other practitioners to make health information more accessible and culturally relevant.

The key development: The 25 students are now expected to turn their workshop concepts into original artworks for a public exhibition in Lagos in November, extending the mental health conversation beyond the initial two-day programme.

This report is based on a joint statement issued by the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art and the Art for Health Initiative on October 7, 2026.

A painting created through a collaboration between Nigerian and Italian artists is now on permanent display at the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art in Lagos, following a residency that also brought students into direct contact with contemporary art.

The work, titled Kairos: The Third Body, was created by Nigerian artist Anthony Nsofor and Italian artist Lara Ilaria Braconi during a five-day residency from September 21 to 25, 2026.

The project, supported by the Embassy of Italy in Lagos, combined artistic experimentation with educational activities, including studio visits for children and university students.

Rather than creating separate pieces, the artists worked together on a single large-scale painting, exploring how different cultural experiences and creative approaches could produce a shared artistic expression.

Students experience the creative process

Beyond the completed painting, the residency provided opportunities for young people to observe artists at work and discuss the ideas behind contemporary art.

Children from the Italian School in Lekki visited the temporary studio at the museum, where they observed the artists developing their collaborative work.

Students from Pan-Atlantic University and Yaba College of Technology’s Epe Annex also participated in a studio visit and discussion with Nsofor and Braconi.

The session covered the artists’ individual practices, the thinking behind Kairos: The Third Body and the possibilities of collaboration for emerging creatives.

These engagements offered students a chance to learn about artistic experimentation directly from practising artists, rather than encountering only finished works in a gallery.

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Why the artists chose to work on one painting

The title Kairos comes from an ancient Greek concept associated with an opportune moment — a meeting or encounter that makes something unexpected possible.

The artists used this idea to explore what happens when two distinct artistic practices are brought into sustained dialogue.

They described the resulting work as a “Third Body”, representing an evolving artistic presence shaped by their exchanges, observations and shared experiences.

Italian artist Braconi said the residency encouraged her to see collaboration as an opportunity for discovery.

“The experience of working with Anthony has reminded me that collaboration can be a space of discovery rather than simply a meeting of two practices. You arrive with your own way of seeing, but you also have to remain open to what the other person brings. Lagos, YSMA and the people we encountered throughout the residency became part of that process, and the work grew from those encounters.”

Nsofor said the experience also challenged him to reconsider how another artist’s ideas could influence his creative process.

“Working with Lara made me think about what happens when you allow another person into the space where your ideas are formed. We did not come together simply to combine two styles; we came together to see what could emerge from the conversation between them. For me, that is what makes Kairos meaningful. It is a record of an encounter, but it is also something neither of us could have produced alone.”

Museum hopes to sustain artistic exchange

The Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA), located at Pan-Atlantic University, has positioned the residency as an extension of its role beyond displaying artworks to providing space for artists to experiment, exchange knowledge and interact with audiences.

YSMA Director Dr Jess Castellote said the project created an opportunity for meaningful engagement between two artistic practices and cultural perspectives.

“We are delighted to have hosted Lara and Anthony for YSMA’s first artist residency. What makes this project particularly meaningful is that it has not only brought two artists together; it has created a space for genuine exchange between two artistic practices and two cultural perspectives. The artwork they have created will remain here at YSMA, so the encounter does not end with the residency. Every visitor who walks through our doors will now encounter a part of that story.”

The residency concluded on September 26 with a presentation and closing ceremony hosted by the Italian Embassy in Lagos.

The event featured remarks by Italian Consul General Ivo Michele Polacco and Castellote, a presentation of the artists and their work, a video documenting the residency, a conversation with the artists and an audience question-and-answer session.

Polacco described the initiative as a significant cultural diplomacy project and said it was the first of its kind undertaken by the Italian Embassy in Lagos.

The museum has not announced whether the residency will become a recurring programme.

What visitors can expect

The completed painting is installed on the high walls at the entrance of YSMA, making it a prominent feature for visitors arriving at the museum.

YSMA preserves and showcases Nigerian artistic heritage through its collection, exhibitions and educational programmes. It was named Museum Opening of the Year by Apollo Magazine in 2020.

The new work adds an international collaborative dimension to the museum’s collection of activities, while its educational engagements demonstrate how artist residencies can connect creative practice with learning.

Whether the initiative leads to further international collaborations remains to be seen, but Kairos: The Third Body will remain a visible record of the exchange between Nsofor and Braconi.