“Carnivalesque is about resilience. It’s about joy in the face of oppression. And it’s about remembering that art can still change the world.”

The final evening of Carnivalesque – Body, Mind and Spirit was not simply a closing event but a moment of reckoning, a reminder that art can challenge, console, and transform. Presented by the Nigeria Art Society UK (NASUK), the programme brought together artist-activist Ben Jones and distinguished museum leader Jennifer Francis in a dialogue that bridged continents, histories, and visions for the future. The Carnivalesque: Body, Mind and Spirit was curated by Onyekachi Wambu while Ra Hendricks was supportive in the organising committee.

Jones’ works are renowned for their ability to merge prayer with protest. His canvases, installations, and performances speak to identity, freedom, justice, and love. Deeply rooted in his ancestral heritage and informed by the celebratory defiance of the Carnivalesque tradition, his art is a force of resistance. Symbols and colours become more than visuals they are instruments of remembrance and emancipation.

“My work is about ancestry, spirit, and struggle. It is both prayer and protest,” Jones has often remarked, encapsulating the philosophy that runs like a current through his practice.

In conversation, Jennifer Francis, whose career spans senior leadership roles at the Royal Academy of Arts, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Louvre Abu Dhabi, and now Director of Turner’s House, drew out the layers of Jones’ philosophy. Together, they explored themes of ancestral responsibility, art as spiritual resistance, and the role of creativity in collective healing.

The timing of this conversation was poignant. It arrived just ahead of the UK premiere of Souleyman Garcia’s documentary, The Bigger Picture – Visions of Ben Jones, screening on 29 August 2025 at 198 Contemporary Arts & Learning, London. The film promises to offer audiences an intimate journey through Jones’ practice, revealing the depth of his vision and the enduring resonance of his art.

For NASUK, the exhibition’s conclusion marked a moment of celebration. Over the course of its run, Carnivalesque: Body, Mind and Spirit became more than an exhibition; it was a festival of creativity, resilience, and cultural pride. Nigerian and diasporic artists found in it a platform that was both affirming and transformative, reminding audiences that the spirit of the Carnivalesque lives on not only as spectacle, but as resistance and renewal.

As the final conversations faded and the last artworks were taken down, one truth lingered: art rooted in ancestry and carried by spirit has the power to resist, to heal, and to inspire future generations.

About the Artist – Ben Jones

Ben Jones is an acclaimed artist and activist whose work fuses spirituality with social critique. His art draws on ancestral traditions, global Black consciousness, and the Carnivalesque as a framework of defiance and joy. Over decades, his practice has served as a visual language for justice, identity, and collective liberation.

About the Speaker: Jennifer Francis

Jennifer Francis is a museum leader with a distinguished international career. She has held senior roles at the Royal Academy of Arts, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Louvre Abu Dhabi, and currently serves as Director of Turner’s House in London. Her work reflects a commitment to cultural exchange, accessibility, and the transformative power of museums.

About NASUK

The Nigeria Art Society UK (NASUK) champions Nigerian creativity in the UK and beyond. Through exhibitions, collaborations, and platforms like
Carnivalesque – Body, Mind and Spirit, NASUK celebrates resilience, nurtures artists, and fosters cultural dialogue.

Words/Ireho Aito/Don’t Keep Your Art in the Finger!/Photographs courtesy Imoesi Imhonigie