Twenty years is a long time for any art movement to survive in Nigeria. For Araism, it has been two decades of palette knives, thick texture, and a stubborn belief that imperfection is beautiful.
Words Ireho Aito | Don’t Keep Your Art in the Finger!
This August, the Araism movement is marking its milestone with a Special Anniversary Lecture hosted by ARA Studio on Thursday, August 27, 2026 at Kongi’s Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos. The theme: “ARAISM: ITS IMPACTS ON NIGERIA’S VISUAL ARTS SPACE.” And if you can’t make it in person, you can join on Zoom.
From One Man’s Experiment to a National Movement
The story starts in 1998, when artist and playwright Mufu Onifade first unveiled a new painting technique in Lagos. Eight years later, on July 22, 2006, that technique became a movement at the Harmattan Workshop Gallery on Victoria Island.
“Ara” means “wonder” in Yoruba. As an acronym, it stands for “Aesthetically Rich Art.” Both fit.
Araism threw out the brush. In its place: the palette knife. The result was art with weight on canvases built in heavy layers, fractured planes, and textures you could almost feel with your eyes. The colours were bold: earthy ochres, and vibrant primaries. The subjects were abstracted figures, cultural symbols, and memories pulled from African history.
But more than style, Araism offered an idea. Instead of chasing smooth perfection, it embraced roughness. As iBAND noted in our coverage of the Iwalewa anniversary exhibition, the movement “springs from indigenous philosophies yet reinvents them through modern experimentation”. The cracks on the canvas became a metaphor for a continent with layered stories.
The Big 20 at Iwalewa
Last year, Iwalewa Art Gallery rolled out the drums for Araism’s 20th exhibition. Hosted by smooth dude Curator Femi Williams who described hosting the exhibition as “a celebration of resilience, creativity, and cultural identity”. For two years the Iwalewa team planned it, intentionally breaking away from “stereotypes kind of exhibition” to match Araism’s own spirit of being different.
Thirty artworks went on display. Founder Mufu Onifade led the showing, alongside artists like Akande Mautin Abiola, Oluwanbe Amodu, George Egunjobi, Kesa Babatunde, Odumbo Adeniran, Jonathan Imafidon, Esther Emmanuel, Stephen Oni, Adeyeye Taiwo and Emmanuel Eweje. Each one stretched the Araism vocabulary in a new direction, simply from abstract explorations to figurative reinterpretations and proving the movement has matured “into a spectrum of possibilities”.
For Williams, the show was personal. He recalls hearing about Onifade’s prowess while studying at Auchi Polytechnic. For Iwalewa, it was about legacy. “This exhibition positions the gallery as a custodian of heritage while amplifying contemporary voices,” he told iBAND.
The Conversation Continues at Freedom Park
The anniversary lecture at Freedom Park is the next chapter. It is less about looking back, and more about asking: what has 20 years of Araism done to Nigerian art?
Emeritus Prof. Duro Oni of UNILAG will be the Chairman of the event. Prof. R.O.R. Kalilu, VC of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, will deliver the keynote. Playwright, culture director and Journalist Ben Tomoloju speaks as Guest Speaker, and Mr. Ahmed Bashir Sodangi, DG of the National Gallery of Art, joins as Special Guest of Honour. Onifade himself will host, with Dr. Olatunji S. Sotimirin, Associate Professor and Founding Head, Department of Theater Arts, Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State as Master of Ceremonies.
In an era of digital art and AI filters, Araism feels almost defiant. It insists on the human hand. On labour, texture and stories told in layers.
Join the conversation on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 11:00 AM prompt, at the 1st Floor, Kongi’s Gallery, Freedom Park, 1 Hospital Road, Broad Street, Lagos. You can also join online via Zoom using Meeting ID 824 5310 8939 and Passcode 404991. To RSVP, call +234 706 6520 464.
Whether you are an artist, collector, or just someone who loves art with soul, this is a moment to witness. Twenty years ago, a group of artists decided that wonder lived in the rough parts. On August 27, Lagos gets to hear what that decision has built.
For more on Araism’s anniversary exhibition at Iwalewa, read our earlier coverage “Inside the Big 20” on iBAND Magazine. https://ibandmagazine.com/2025/09/10/cover-inside-the-big-20-iwalewa-art-gallery-bursts-alive-with-araism-movements-anniversary/
iBAND Magazine, Celebrating Visual Art from the Original.
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