When Nigeria turns 65 on October 1st, 2025, Abuja will not only be hosting independence celebrations. At the Exhibition Pavilion, something just as symbolic will be happening: veteran artist James Irabor Uwagbale will finally step into the spotlight with his first-ever solo exhibition. He calls it Silent Conversations, and it will feature 30 works that weave together his years of teaching, civil service, and now, full-time studio life.

But before all this, there was one piece that gave him the courage to follow this path. One piece that made him believe he was not just making art but shaping his destiny. That work was the Festival of the Golden Pot. Writes Ireho Aito

The Work That Changed Everything

In 2013, James created the Festival of the Golden Pot, a striking metal sculpture that seemed to carry more than just beauty. It carried energy, tradition, and a sense of celebration. For James, it was more than an artwork but a turning point.

“Festival of the Golden Pot gave me the confidence to believe my vision was worth pursuing,” he says with a smile. “It wasn’t about the applause it got. It was about that deep conviction inside me that I had found my true voice in art.”

And indeed, the sculpture spoke loudly. It was chosen as the central piece at the very first in-house artists’ exhibition of the National Gallery of Art in 2013. James remembers the moment vividly:

“I still get amazed that out of all the fantastic works presented at that inaugural NGA event, my sculpture was the cynosure of all eyes. The media gave it wide coverage, and for weeks it was in the news. Till today, I still relish that beautiful moment,” he recalls, almost glowing.

Not long after, the National Collection Acquisition Committee of the Gallery acquired Festival of the Golden Pot for its permanent collection. For James, it was not just recognition, it was validation.

A Lesson in Hope

Looking back, James says the experience taught him something profound which he learned so fast that it’s not about how long or hard an artwork takes to produce; what matters is the creativity and ingenuity it carries.

“It was a worthy recognition and the kind of validation every artist longs for,” he reflects. “That piece showed me I was on the right track, and I have never looked back since.”

Now, as Silent Conversations approaches, James is ready to share more of those inner dialogues with the world. If Festival of the Golden Pot was the seed, this exhibition is the blossoming tree.

On Independence Day, when Nigeria reflects on 65 years of nationhood, James Irabor will be reflecting too and this time through art that speaks in whispers, silences, and golden memories.

The Weight of Independence

Choosing to open his debut on Independence Day is no accident. Just as Nigeria reflects on 65 years of nationhood, Irabor is also stepping into a reflective space of his own. The exhibition becomes a metaphorical mirror that is a personal independence, a reclaiming of his creative path after years of balancing bureaucratic service with artistic yearning.

“Silent Conversations is about what is often unspoken, the cultural memories, the unrecorded stories, the inner dialogues we carry but rarely voice,” Irabor explains. “I hope visitors will find themselves within these works.”

30 Works, 30 Windows into Silence

The Pavilion will hold an ensemble of works that explore sculpture, painting, and mixed media. Each piece carries with it not just craftsmanship but philosophy, a belief that art must engage history while offering possibilities for the future.

The number itself—30 works—feels deliberate. It is as though Irabor is staging a dialogue with each year that has passed since he first committed to art as a teenager.

Towards a New Conversation

For the global art community, Silent Conversations promises to be a landmark event. For Irabor, it is an unveiling not just of works but of a life that has moved through multiple terrains and is now fully anchored in the studio.

The silence, he suggests, is never empty. It is full of voices waiting to be heard.

On October 1st, 2025, as Nigeria looks back and forward, so too will James Irabor. His Silent Conversations may just become a national one.

Words/Ireho Aito/Don’t Keep Your Art in the Finger!/Artwork/Photographs/James Irabor Uwagbale