The current state of the Nigerian nation is a subject of concern to not only politicians or people in power but also to artists who have always pitched in and provided their own artistic interpretations. Enter Ndidi Dike with a solo exhibition at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos entitled ‘State of the Nation: New Works and Installations’.
Expected to close on Monday, February 8, His Royal Majesty, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha, declared the event open on February 3 to an exclusive audience.
Dike, one of Nigeria’s major contemporary artists who has been consistent with her craft, said the whole idea was “to inspire a visual conversation around our collective growth” in the pursuit of democratic excellence.
“The concept was subconsciously gestated in my mind for years, but most recently manifested itself in my identification, selection and employment of objects as material metaphors for power, petroleum and politics. These are both literally and figuratively accruements of power as a phenomenon,” she said.
She derives inspiration from diverse range of sources, including urbanism, consumerism, globalisation, post-colonial studies, history of slavery across borders/country migration, multi-culturalism, art history and contemporary politics.
The artist has participated in numerous exhibitions in Nigeria, Africa and beyond, including Seven Stories About Modern Art in Africa, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, England (1995). Recent solo shows include: Waka-into-Bondage, The Last Mile At CCA, Lagos (2008) and Unknown Pleasures and Competing Tendencies at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos (2012).
She currently runs a studio and lives in Lagos, Nigeria.
