As Austrian-born ceramist Selma Etareri prepares to host Unfolding Horizons: Female Nigerian Artists at the Afro-Asian Institute Graz on March 5, 2026, she made a significant stop at one of Graz’s most talked-about cultural events, the landmark exhibition Àdùnní Olórìṣà by Susanne Wenger.

Words Ireho Aito | Don’t Keep Your Art in the Finger! Photographs courtesy Selma Etareri

Currently on view at HALLE FÜR KUNST Steiermark from February 7 to April 19, 2026, the exhibition presents a carefully curated selection of Wenger’s batiks, paintings, and drawings. The exhibition was curated under the direction of Sandro Droschl, whose vision frames Wenger’s work within a contemporary global discourse. Courtesy of the Susanne Wenger Foundation, the showcase offers a profound exploration of the Austrian-Nigerian artist’s lifelong devotion to Yoruba spirituality and sacred art traditions.

Etareri attended the opening evening and shared rare photographs from the event with iBAND Magazine, offering audiences in Nigeria a visual glimpse into the exhibition’s atmosphere and its cultural resonance in Europe.

Reflecting on Wenger’s legacy on national television, renowned art collector Engr. Prince Yemisi Shyllon, once remarked that the artist “decided to go to those extreme places we forbid ourselves to go to as Nigerians and Africans and developed history.” His words underscore Wenger’s fearless immersion into Yoruba cosmology, a journey that transformed her into a custodian of the sacred grove in Òṣogbo and a bridge between continents.

Etareri’s visit highlights a powerful continuum: from Wenger’s pioneering cross-cultural devotion to the contemporary voices of Nigerian women artists she is set to present in Unfolding Horizons. As Graz becomes a meeting point for African and European artistic dialogue, these exhibitions collectively reaffirm the enduring influence of Nigerian cultural heritage on the global stage.

iBAND Magazine, Celebrating Visual Arts from the Original.
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