Welcome to the Art News Africa Studio Visits - Nigeria - a podcast series about Nigerian artists and their work.
Nigeria's art scene serves as a home to some of the most prominent African artists of our time, with a rich heritage from Ben Enwonwu, Uche Okeke and Bruce Onobrakpeya, Peju Alatise, and many more. But today, its names such as Wura-Natasha Ogunji, Victor Ehikhamenor, Nengi Omuku, Alimi Adewale, and Modupeola Fadugba, who art-lovers from around the world are inspired by and collecting from.
Contemporary and modern Nigerian art is full of passion, humor, opinions, strength, and diversity. This and much more are what you will get insights into in this podcast series.
In this very first episode, host, Jonas Schwarz Lausten visits Wura-Natasha Ogunji. Tugged away in a serene compound in Ikoyi, Lagos, Jonas meets Wura in her studio and private home. Her place is clean and minimalistic with bright colors and big windows. They sit down in her living room and chat about her practice and work. She talks about traveling, taking courses, and wanting to make beautiful things.
In large-scale paintings, delicately stitched drawings on architectural tracing paper, and videos Wura explores history, memory, and place.
Wura is a heavyweight in the Nigerian art scene. Ogunji often uses her own body to explore e.g. homeland, identity, and the presence of women in public space in Lagos, Nigeria
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Follow Wura-Natasha Ogunji on Instagram @wuraogunji
Music is from Pixabay and the theme song "Start Again" is by Nigerian singersong writer Falana. Sculpture on podcast cover by Alimi Adewale.
