11 March – 30 May 2013
Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos is pleased to present Emissaries of an Iconic Religion, the first major solo exhibition in Nigeria of Adolphus Opara. This photographic series of portraits of diviners from the regions of South-Western Nigeria invoke the symbols and narratives of indigenous religious belief, as well as its relevance and function within the society. The composition of the images by Opara align closely with the formal photographic portraits of prominent Yoruba people in Nigeria as well as with the conventions of European portrait painting. These large-format, painterly images, imbued with luxuriant colours attempts to re-assert the importance and vitality of local belief systems, in spite of external pressures.
Adolphus Opara’s work is principally inspired by encounters with people and his commitment to expressing the exigencies and the challenges that characterise their daily realities. He uses visual story telling to show his empathy towards the issues with which he is confronted.
Born 1981, Opara has exhibited widely locally and internationally. Recent exhibitions include – Contested Terrains, 2011, Tate Modern, London; African Lace, 2010, Museum fur Vulkerkunde, Vienna, Austria; African Photography Encounters, 2011, Bamako, Mali; The Tie That Binds Us, 2012, Tiwani Contemporary, London among others. He has undertaken assignments for notable organisations and his works have been published in magazines, books and websites including the BBC, World Press Photo ENTER, New African Magazine and Nigerians Behind the Lens, the first Fine Art Photobook showcasing contemporary photography from Nigeria.
Emissaries of an Iconic Religion is curated by Jude Anogwih and organised by CCA, Lagos. The exhibition is financially supported by the British Council, London.
CITIES IN TRANSITION – Marker 2013, ART DUBAI
20 – 23 March 2013
Art Dubai’s Marker programme explores the nature of evolving cities in West Africa through the work of upcoming and established artists, exhibiting in the Middle East for the first time.
Marker is a curated section of concept stands, located within the gallery halls at Madinat Jumeirah, which focuses each year on a particular theme or geography. For 2013, Art Dubai has invited Lagos-based curator Bisi Silva to select and work with galleries and art spaces located in West Africa. Silva’s programme is curated around the theme of ‘cities in transition’, with a particular focus on the work of dynamic, independent organisations and artists dealing with specific identities and localities. Her concept focuses on the rapidly evolving nature of cities in West Africa and the way in which this change impacts society.
She has selected five spaces to work collaboratively with their artists to produce exhibitions for Art Dubai: Centre for Contemporary Art (Lagos, Nigeria); Espace doual’art (Douala, Cameroon); Maison Carpe Diem (Segou, Mali); Nubuke Foundation (Accra, Ghana); and Raw Material Company (Dakar, Senegal). Working together with the curator and the fair, each artspace will present recent works by artists such as Soly Cisse (Senegal) Ablade Glover (Ghana), Abdoulaye Konate (Mali) Boris Nzebo (Cameroun) and Taiye Idahor (Nigeria).
The Centre For Contemporary Art Lagos is proud to be represented by the works of 6 artists, Ndidi Dike, Ade Adekola, Charles Okereke, Taiye Idahor, Emeka Ogboh and Karo Akpokiere.
