Sunday, August 10th, 2025, will be remembered as the day Nigerian art took a deep, graceful bow to its masters. And right in the middle of it all was Dr. Afuevu Onakufe, who is proudly African, proudly Nigerian, and proudly Urhobo.
Afuevu didn’t just curate an exhibition; he staged a moment that felt like history shaking hands with the present. Draped in the rich, flamboyant style of his Urhobo heritage, he stood with a striking Urhobo Adaju hand fan, a unique print on leather by none other than his uncle, the legendary Professor Bruce Onobrakpeya. The artwork’s title, Otovwe – Long Life, Omokpokpo – Good Health, felt like a blessing over the entire day.
The stage was the Fobally Art Gallery in Lagos. The stars? Nine grandmasters of Nigerian printmaking. Four have passed on, but their works remain alive and breathing through ink, texture, and memory.
It was a guest list worthy of a royal banquet, just that only here, the crowns were made of ink, paper, and decades of genius. The roll call read like the Hall of Fame of Nigerian printmaking: Chief Tayo Aiyegbusi, Prof. Solomon Wangboje, Prof. Bruce Onobrakpeya, Prof. Uche Okeke, Mr. David Dale, Mr. Ademola Williams, Prof. Salubi Onakufe, Mr. Tayo Quaye, and Dr. Kunle Adeyemi.
Five are still with us, still crafting, still daring the limits of what print can say. The spirits of the departed were surely present, their works whispering and echoing from the walls.
And for those who have followed the craft, from the legendary Hydrochloric Acid Accident experiments of Professor Onobrakpeya to today’s innovations, this was proof: African printmaking is not just surviving but rising, glowing, and boldly claiming its place on the world stage.
Afuevu Onakufe the Curator maintains that this was not just another exhibition you stroll through, nod politely, and forget. No, this was his handwritten love letter to Nigerian art, sealed with ink and framed with pride. It was also a living museum of a craft so familiar, we didn’t even know we were part of its story.
For further information
afuevuonakufe@yahoomail.com
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Words/Ireho Aito/Don’t Keep Your Art in the Finger!/Photographs/Dr. Afuevu Onakufe Library
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