Akalaka

Besides being an impressive showing by each artist, AKALAKA is an important home coming for two influential artists of the Uli tradition, who have not had a major showing in Nigeria since the mid 1990’s.

Adenaike and Anidi are part of the Uli art movement which originated at the famous Nsukka Art School of the 1970's and 1980's, spearheaded by internationally acclaimed Professor Uche Okeke of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The globally celebrated artists who’s joint show AKALAKA, literally means “the lines on the palm of your hand” connoting destiny in Igbo, present sculptures and watercolors which draw inspiration from a repertoire of Uli motifs found largely in Igbo land, which is a dying art form; it was solely the preserve of women, who either used it for body adornment or wall decorations of sacred shrines.

Both Anidi and Adenaike, who last held a joint show at the Italian Cultural Center over 30 years ago, have created an unforgettable, powerful visual language that though expressed in different media, share a deep congruity.