Fresh from his celebrated Cover Edition appearance on iBAND Magazine, sculptor Wale Asubiojo is set to unveil another ambitious cultural statement with his historical sculptural project titled Ibadan Warlord – Iba Oluyole.

Words iBAND Editorial team | Don’t Keep Your Art in the Finger!

The unveiling, scheduled for June 4, 2026, at the National Museum of Unity, Ibadan, marks another defining moment in the career of the artist whose sculptural language continues to bridge African history, memory and monumentality.

In its recent feature on the artist, iBAND Magazine presented Asubiojo as a sculptor deeply committed to preserving indigenous narratives through monumental art. The magazine highlighted his belief that African artists must embrace the role of cultural historians, especially in preserving stories that were never fully captured in written records.

Speaking in the feature, Asubiojo stressed that artists “must become cultural historians,” a philosophy that strongly echoes through Ibadan Warlord – Iba Oluyole, his latest sculptural tribute dedicated to one of the most revered military figures in Yoruba history.

The project revisits the strength, courage and strategic leadership associated with Oluyole, whose legacy remains central to the historical rise of Ibadan. Through the imposing sculptural form, expressive textures and symbolic raised sword, Asubiojo transforms history into visual testimony, reconnecting contemporary audiences with ancestral memory and Yoruba identity.

The historical sculptural project will be unveiled by Olugbile Holloway, Director General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), in what is expected to be a major cultural gathering involving museum stakeholders, historians, collectors, artists and heritage enthusiasts.

The project is powered by Black Heritage Studios in collaboration with the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), reflecting a shared commitment toward cultural preservation and historical documentation through public art practice.

For many observers within the Nigerian art space, the unveiling represents more than the presentation of a monument. It signals the continuing emergence of sculpture as a powerful archival medium capable of preserving indigenous histories beyond textbooks and oral traditions.

As Wale Asubiojo continues to expand his influence within contemporary African sculpture, Ibadan Warlord – Iba Oluyole stands as both monument and memory a commanding artistic reminder that history can still breathe through bronze, form and imagination.

iBAND Magazine, Celebrating Visual Arts from the Original.
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