At the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA), the spirit of collecting takes on new life in Collecting Now II, a vibrant exhibition running from October 11, 2025, to February 28, 2026. This show continues the story that began last year, exploring how Nigerians collect, keep, and share art just as our parents and ancestors once kept family heirlooms, woven cloths, or talking drums to tell their stories. Writes Ireho Aito

Long before glass display cases and art fairs, Africans were natural collectors. Our grandmothers kept beaded crowns, ancestral masks, and wrappers with memories stitched into them. Our fathers treasured photo albums, carved stools, and vinyl records that played the soundtrack of their youth. To collect, in the African sense, has always meant to remember to guard a piece of who we are.

That same tradition lives on today in modern collectors who see art as more than decoration. For them, every sculpture, painting, or photograph is a living story one that connects the past to the present and prepares the ground for the future.

The Keepers of Our Creative Fire

In Collecting Now II, six remarkable collectors open their private worlds to the public: Olufemi Akinsanya, Tayo Odunsi, Ifeyinwa Momah, Nonso Okpala, Bimpe Nkontchou, and Yemi Ogunbiyi.

Each collector’s story shines like a different fabric in a single cultural tapestry.

Tayo Odunsi collects art that feels personal and close to home portraits that stretch family memory into the future.

Nonso Okpala sees collecting as a duty. Through works by Nigerian and African masters, he turns his collection into a time capsule that remembers who we were and who we are becoming.

Yemi Ogunbiyi began collecting in the 1970s, keeping treasures from Yoruba carvings to Nok terracottas and works by legends like Enwonwu and Onobrakpeya reminders that our ancient forms still breathe in today’s art.

Ify Momah turns her home into a gallery of emotion and discovery. For her, art is part of daily living something that moves with life and heart.

Olufemi Akinsanya bridges modern and contemporary African art, holding pieces by Gerard Sekoto, Yinka Shonibare, Victor Ehikhamenor, and REWA proof that African creativity never stops reinventing itself.

Bimpe Nkontchou, one of two women collectors in this edition, collects with a mission to uplift underrepresented and emerging artists, particularly women. Her collection shows that art can be both beautiful and bold in its message.

A Modern Conversation with an Ancient Soul

At the heart of Collecting Now II is the idea that to collect is to care to guard what matters, just as our ancestors did with family stories, village art, and sacred objects. Today’s collectors are the new custodians of memory, ensuring that Nigerian and African art continues to speak loudly and proudly to the world.

The exhibition blends paintings, sculptures, photographs, and traditional works not just for the eyes, but for the heart and mind. It invites visitors to look beyond the art itself and see the people, emotions, and histories woven into every piece.

A Museum with a Mission

The Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art, part of Pan-Atlantic University, remains a bridge between learning and culture. With this second edition of Collecting Now, the museum continues its mission to celebrate art, spark conversation, and build connections between artists, collectors, scholars, and the public.

As the museum’s founder, Prince Yemisi Shyllon, has always believed collecting art is not about possession, but preservation. It’s about keeping our stories alive for generations yet to come.

So when you walk through Collecting Now II, think of your grandmother’s wooden chest, your father’s record shelf, or the beads and fabrics that carry your family’s story. That, too, is collecting the African way.

Words Ireho Aito/ Don’t Keep Your Art in the Finger!