‘IYABEJI’
Aniwura Collective Presents an Exhibition Exploring Yoruba Cosmology, Spiritual Kinship, Healing and the Power of Communal Care
14–21 November 2026 | J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture & History, Lagos
Photographs credit: 14×14/ Angie.: Photographed by Dotun Adeleye
A2: Jelili Attiku photographed by Benedicte Kurzen
LAGOS, NIGERIA : Aniwura Collective, in partnership with the J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture & History, presents Iyabeji, a multidisciplinary contemporary art exhibition taking place from 14 to 21 November 2026 in Lagos.
Bringing together painting, photography, moving image, installation, performance and spoken word, Iyabeji explores Yoruba cosmology, spiritual kinship, ancestral knowledge, healing and the transformative power of community.
At the heart of the exhibition is the deeply personal journey of artist Angie Aniwura, whose experiences of spiritual initiation, illness, recovery that have shaped an evolving artistic exploration of the sacred twin Orisha, Ìyàbéjì.
Following a hysterectomy in 2013, Angie’s body became a threshold for visions, dreams and spiritual visitations from Ìyàbéjì. These encounters offered a presence of motherhood she had not previously known, leading her to initiation into Ifá in 2015, followed by Osun and Odua in 2019, Egbe in 2021, and the Gelede society of Ilaro as Iya Egbe Oni Gelede in 2023.
Before her breast cancer diagnosis in 2023, Angie collaborated with artist and spiritual healer Lucy SM Johnston on a photographic session conceived as a homage to Ìyàbéjì, seeking to capture their energy and spiritual presence.
Following her diagnosis, their collaboration evolved. Painting together became a space of trust, and shared spiritual care, allowing artistic practice to become a means of connection during a period of profound personal transformation.
Throughout Angie’s recovery and remission, community became central to her journey. Storytelling and recitations by Peju Alatise, guidance from her mentor Jelili Atiku, and the artistic contributions and documentation of members of Aniwura Collective including Bénédicte Kurzen, Adegoke Adedotun, and Anthony Adélẹ́yẹ Ọlájídé helped witness, hold and give expression to these experiences.
Together, these artistic practices form a kind of living shrine to endurance, memory and the quiet, sustaining power of presence, connection and communal care.
Art, Spirituality and Indigenous Knowledge
Building on questions explored in the earlier projects Iyabeji: Mothers of Twins and Olomoyoyo, the exhibition considers how Indigenous knowledge is retained, transformed and transmitted across generations through contemporary artistic practice.
Central to the exhibition is the Yoruba concept of Ori, the spiritual dimension of individual destiny, and the interconnected relationships between human existence, ancestral presence, community and the environmental and metaphysical forces that shape our lives.
Rather than presenting tradition as something fixed in the past, Iyabeji approaches cultural knowledge as living, evolving and continually reinterpreted.
Through photography, painting, film and collective artistic expression, the exhibition explores the ways in which spirituality, memory and cultural belonging can provide forms of resilience and care.
Co-curated by Angie Aniwura and Lison Sabrina Musset, Iyabeji invites audiences to consider how art can become a vessel for spiritual knowledge, shared experience and intergenerational dialogue.
A Programme of Art, Conversation and Cultural Exchange
Alongside the exhibition, Aniwura Collective will present a programme of public events bringing together artists, filmmakers, thinkers and cultural practitioners.
Saturday 14 November 2026 | 3:00–6:00 PM
Exhibition Opening
The official opening of Iyabeji at the J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture & History, Lagos.
Visitors are invited to experience the exhibition and encounter the artists’ explorations of Yoruba cosmology, spiritual kinship, ancestry, healing and contemporary cultural expression.
Sunday 15 November 2026 | 3:00 PM
Artist Talk
A conversation featuring exhibiting artists Angie Aniwura, Lucy SM Johnston, Anthony Adélẹ́yẹ Ọlájídé and Adegoke Adedotun, hosted by Lison Sabrina Musset, co-curator of Iya Beji.
The discussion will explore the artists’ practices, the collaborative processes behind the exhibition and the relationship between artistic expression, spirituality, cultural memory and communal care.
Saturday 21 November 2026 | 5:00 PM
Special Lecture and Film Screening
The closing day’s programme will feature a special lecture bringing together Araba Ifayemi Elebuibon, Yoruba cultural scholar and Ifa practitioner, and Qudus Onikeku, internationally recognised choreographer, multidisciplinary artist and Director of the J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture & History.
The conversation will explore the relationship between Yoruba knowledge systems, cultural heritage and contemporary artistic expression, creating space for dialogue between ancestral wisdom and new generations of cultural practitioners.
The programme will also include a screening of the short film A Separation from My Unborn Twins, directed by Jelili Atiku.
The film traces Angie Aniwura’s spiritual journey and her relationship with the Gelede society of Ilaro. Set within the wider context of her spiritual experiences, breast cancer diagnosis and recovery, the film offers an intimate perspective on the relationship between personal transformation, cultural belonging and collective care.
It reflects on how spiritual knowledge, artistic practice and community can accompany an individual through moments of profound change.
Film credits:
• Director: Jelili Atiku
• Film crew: Bashiru Aminu Peter (BAP) and Rasaq Kazeem (ROCKSON)
• Editor: Luke Schiller
• Producer: Angie Aniwura
Connecting Generations and Communities
Through its exhibition and public programme, Iyabeji aims to engage both established arts audiences and a new generation of cultural participants.
Students, emerging artists, filmmakers, designers, researchers and young creatives are particularly encouraged to attend, alongside the wider Lagos public.
By bringing together contemporary artists, cultural knowledge holders and diverse audiences, Aniwura Collective hopes to contribute to ongoing conversations about belonging, cultural memory and the future of Indigenous knowledge.
At its core, Iyabeji is an invitation to reconsider the relationships that sustain us between the individual and the collective, the visible and invisible worlds, and the generations that precede and follow us.
Exhibition: Iyabeji
Presented by: Aniwura Collective
In partnership with: J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture & History, Lagos
Dates: 14–21 November 2026
Opening hours: Exhibition Visiting Hours | 14–21 November 2026
• Daily: 10:00 AM–6:00 PM
• Sunday 15 November: 12:00 PM (noon)–6:00 PM
• Saturday 14 November, Opening Reception: 3:00–6:00 PM
Venue: J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture & History, Lagos, Nigeria
Public Programme:
• Saturday 14 November | 3:00–6:00 PM: Exhibition Opening
• Sunday 15 November | 3:00 PM: Artist Talk
• Saturday 21 November | 5:00 PM: Special Lecture and Film Screening
Featuring works by: Angie Aniwura, Lucy SM Johnston, Adegoke Adedotun, Anthony Adélẹ́yẹ Ọlájídé and Bénédicte Kurzen.
Recitations by: Peju Alatise.
Co-curated by: Angie Aniwura and Lison Sabrina Musset.
Special thanks to: The J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture & History, the Gelede communities of Ilaro and Ajilete, and Jelili Atiku.
About Aniwura Collective
Aniwura Collective is an interdisciplinary artistic initiative exploring Yoruba cultural knowledge, ancestral memory, spiritual relationships and contemporary creative expression.
Through exhibitions, collaborations and public programmes, the collective brings together artistic practices and cultural perspectives to create spaces for dialogue, experimentation and exchange.
Press Enquiries
Aniwura Collective
Email: aniwuracollective@gmail.com
Instagram: @aniwura.art
High-resolution images, artist information and interview opportunities are available upon request.
