MOWAA In the News

Nigeria Imaginary- Nigeria Pavilion at the 60th International Venice Biennale Coverage

• In the Nigeria Pavilion, Criticism Meets Optimism Siddhartha Mitter for The New York Times

  The group show “Nigeria Imaginary” will be one of the most ambitious African presentations ever at the Venice Biennale.

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  Also picked up by ArtDaily

• Venice Biennale 2024 is a rapturous celebration of unfamiliar global artists Jackie Wullschläger for the Financial Times

  Nigeria’s optimistic, youthful show, curated by Aindrea Emelife, occupies a decaying palazzo. From its glamorous ruins rises a grand many-faced wooden Igbo figure, suggesting multiple possibilities. Upstairs, among many multimedia presentations, painting wins out: Toyin Ojih Odutola’s flamboyant, elegantly striated female portraits, denoting agency and freedom; Tunji Adeniyi-Jones’s vibrant “Celestial Gathering”, a ceiling painting of figures immersed in foliage, evoking swirling Tiepolos; Yinka Shonibare’s batik-painted bust of General Rawson, leader of the Benin Expedition, caged beneath ceramic versions of Benin’s now restituted bronzes.

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• Aindrea Emelife on bringing the Nigerian Pavilion to life at the Venice Biennale 2024 Ugonna-Ora Owoh for Wallpaper

  Curator Aindrea Emelife has spearheaded a new wave of contemporary artists at the Venice Biennale’s second-ever Nigerian Pavilion. Here, she talks about what the world needs to learn about African art.

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• Nigeria Imaginary: inside one of the most surprising pavilions of the 2024 Biennale Irene Luzi for ArtsLife

  Nigeria Imaginary is the title of the exhibition that Nigeria presents at the 2024 Venice Biennale, curated by Aindrea Emelife – curator of modern and contemporary art at the MOWAA (Museum of West African Art) – and composed of site-specific works.

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• The 10 Best National Pavilions at the 60th Venice Biennale Jameson Johnson and Casey Lesser for Artsy

  “‘Nigeria imaginary’ comes from two points of departure: It explores the role of great moments in Nigerian history, moments of optimism, as well as the Nigeria that lives in our minds, the Nigeria that could be and is yet to be,” explained Aindrea Emelife, of the presentation she has curated for the Nigerian pavilion, at its inauguration.
• NIGERIA IMAGINARY 60th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia Nigerian Pavilion Federico Pazzagli for Exibart (Italy)

  Nigeria Imaginary – curated by Aindrea Emelife and featuring Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, Ndidi Dike, Onyeka Igwe, Toyin Ojih-Odutola, Abraham Oghobase, Precious Okoyomon, Yinka Shonibare CBE RA and Fatimah Tuggar – takes inspiration from two points of departure. The exhibition explores the role of both great moments in Nigeria’s history – moments of optimism; and the Nigeria of the mind—a Nigeria that could be and is yet to be.

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• Aindrea Emelife on Curating the Nigerian Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale ArtReview

  "I think a lot about a youth audience, and I certainly had that in mind with this exhibition. The Nigeria Pavilion will tour back to MOWAA (Museum of West African Art) in Benin City, Nigeria – so I was thinking about the local audience also."

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• Venice Biennale, at Nigeria pavilion a project on the country's imagery Finestre sull'Arte

  Using different mediums, the artists explore the many souls of Nigeria that live in their minds, whether as moments in history, nostalgic moods, or visions of the Nigeria that is yet to be. Nigeria Imaginary is an investigation of the legacies of the colonial past in today’s post-independence nation and a provocative imagination of a hopeful, youth-led future.

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• 8 Hits of the Venice Biennale Jason Farago, Alex Marshall, Julia Halperin, Jillian Steinhauer and Zachary Small for the New York Times

  There’s an easy way to tell how popular a national pavilion is at the Biennale: Look and see who’s walking around Venice proudly carrying the tote bag.
  At this year’s event, the bright green tote from the Nigeria pavilion seems to be the one that everyone wants. The bag has the name of the exhibition, “Nigeria Imaginary,” printed on one side, and “Na Condition Make Crayfish Bend,” a Nigerian proverb, on the other.
  Nigeria’s pavilion has caused such a stir here partly because it’s the African country’s first major Biennale presentation. Aindrea Emelife, the pavilion’s curator, has created an exhibition featuring work by eight artists with Nigerian roots that includes stark photography, imposing sculpture and majestic painting.

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