YANGA!

In celebration of Audry Cognac's Nigerian debut, SMO Contemporary Art presents YANGA, a celebration of Nigerian Audacity and Tradition through a curated selection of works at Arami Lagos. Four distinguished artists: Adewuyi Kehinde Ken, Nathalie Djakou Kassi, Somi Nwandu and Adeniyi Adewole Wasiu show off the vibrant spirit of our creativity through their timeless works which are rooted in our heritage and bold fearless character.

Audry Cognac's values of Audacity and Tradition , and its long standing support and commitment to the visual arts, are a perfect starting point as you embark on your Nigerian journey. Through YANGA, we welcome you, and audaciously celebrate the best of our contemporary art with vibrant energy, colorful flair and serious style.

SMO at Arami Lagos brings contemporary art into conversation with the world of fine dining and cognac, united by an appreciation for provenance and the refinement of the senses.

Bringing together diverse artistic practices, YANGA explores the richness of material, form, and cultural expression. From Nathali Djakou Kassi's Agbada Series (2023) and the carved mahogany works Wisdom At Rest (2016), her daring vessels and sculptures push against expectation. Kassi's iconic masterpieces echo Audrey cognac's long standing relationship with the ceramic arts, and create an exciting introduction to a Cameroonian-Nigerian master artist.

Kenny Adewuyi's works in bronze, in the style of elongation and exaggeration, are examples of the finest craftsmanship and artistry. He has an active studio practice in both Nigeria and France and uses the demanding medium of bronze to create unique forms which exude a permanence and gravity in the lost-wax casting technique, rooted in ancient West African tradition.

Somi Nwandu draws on technology, heritage and culture, working with Nsibidi and Uli, the Igbo systems of symbolism and iconography, practiced for centuries by women through architectural murals and body tatoos. She presents this ancestral mark-making and its abstract vocabulary on lenticular lens surfaces, which dance and weave depending on one's shifting perspective and gaze.

Adeniyi Adewole is bold in his material and approach with powerful life size sculptures. In Hybrid Harmony (2024), he divides a single portrait diagonally; where one half is smooth and fine, the other raw and metallic, built from aluminium shavings and resin. The two are held in balance, proposing opposites can coexist.

Audry Cognac's arrival offers an occasion to consider craftsmanship as a discipline and an experience. Much like fine dining, where ingredients, techniques and presentation come together to create a deliberate sensory experience, YANGA celebrates the artistry behind making and appreciating exceptional things.

Together, SMO Contemporary Art and ARAMI Lagos welcome Audry Cognac with a celebration of artistry and culture. The relationship between art, fine dining and cognac lies in the attention each demands: to detail, composition, texture and the process from creating to experience.

We hope you enjoy YANGA, and that this introduction sharpens your taste to learn more about our rich creative industry rooted in our diverse, rich heritage, laced with audacious swagger and style!

E káàbò. Nno. Barka da Zuwa.