His approach to metal is both technical and poetic. Welds become brushstrokes. Contours speak volumes. In each finished piece, there is something sacred; Writes Ireho Aito

If you listen closely, you can almost hear it, the low, echoing thud of a drum or the soft shuffle of bare feet against sun-warmed earth. But it’s not sound. It’s steel. In the hands of Nigerian sculptor Ashikodi – Ebuh Okwudili, metal becomes more than matter. It becomes rhythm. It becomes memory. It becomes story.

Okwudili, a graduate of the School of Art and Design at Federal Polytechnic Auchi, is part of the revered Class of ’99, whose silver jubilee was celebrated with the 2024 Constellation exhibition, a powerful gathering of alumni whose artistic influence continues to shape contemporary African art. Constellation exhibition was held at Iwalewa Gallery of Art, Lekki, Lagos

Two of Okwudili’s standout works, The African Drummer and The Ika Dancer, showcase his singular ability to give steel a heartbeat.

Created in 2018, the African Drummer stands at 5 feet 4 inches and radiates cultural power. With the figure of a poised drummer, Okwudili pays homage to the deep role of percussion in African society not simply as sound but as a language of celebration, mourning, and ancestral connection. The sculpture captures the commanding presence of the drummer, a community anchor, a ceremonial guide.

Meanwhile, the Ika Dancer evokes movement in stillness. With elegant lines and a dynamic posture, the metal figure encapsulates the spirit of the Ika people. The sculpture sings of festival, pride, and generational rhythm where every step tells a story, and every gesture is part of a larger cultural script. Okwudili doesn’t just sculpt a body in motion; he captures a soul in celebration.

His approach to metal is both technical and poetic. Welds become brushstrokes. Contours speak volumes. In each finished piece, there is something sacred; a preservation of the intangible through a medium we often see as cold or rigid.

But that’s Okwudili’s gift. He bends metal not just into shape but into meaning. Through his work, African identity, tradition, and spirit are cast into permanence. Sculpture, in his vision, is not merely art, it is testimony.

Ashikodi – Ebuh Okwudili reminds us that art is not only what we see but what we feel between the lines, in the spaces that echo. In his world, metal sings. And yes, it dances.

Words/Ireho Aito/Don’t Keep Your Art in the Finger!/Photographs/Artwork/Ashikodi – Ebuh Okwudili’s gallery.