REWA

I have painted the Agbogho Mmuo masquerade for years. This time, I stood among them.

My relationship with the dancing maiden spirit has already travelled far beyond Onitsha. In 2024 / 2025, an Agbogho Mmuo became the central figure in my official poster for the Carnaval de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the second largest carnival in the world, making me the first African artist in the Carnival’s 67-year history to create its official poster.

And then, in Lagos, the distance between painting and living tradition disappeared.

For the opening of Embodied Spirits: Masquerades of Igboland, three Agbogho Mmuo travelled to Lagos, from Onitsha, and danced alongside the paintings they helped inspire.

There was something quite extraordinary about standing amongst them, not as images on my canvas, but moving, dancing, responding to the drums.

A few more moments from the night. 💖 🎭

Embodied Spirits: Masquerades of Igboland

#EmbodiedSpirits #AgboghoMmuo #REWA #ADF #WEF