The second edition of Art Teachers’ Exhibition opened the new location of the Centre for Research, Information and Media Development (CRIMMD) Museum of Nigerian History at Ajao Estate, Lagos. With Freedom Of Expression, as theme, the exhibition brought art lovers and scholars to view the artists’ stories in paints. Organised by Culture Art Academy in collaboration with CRIMMD Museum, the seven-day event evinced creativity and free expression of imaginations.

The artists, Victor Assam (experimental visual artist); Funmi Opanubu-Alasholuyi (head, Mides Fun World Art Gallery); Babatunde Lawanson (art instructor); Opara Nelson Rossi (art coach and mix media artist).

Others include, Temidayor Ayeni (sculpture and mixed media); Enijesiku Olumide Olalekan (art and industrial design); and Ekhalyeme Augustine (digital and mix media artist), gave art aficionados the best they could get at any exhibition.With Assam’s work, “Yemoja” a sculpture of the Yoruba river goddess of fruitfulness, productivity and protection made with silver spoons, the artist expressed his thought at the celestial, linking the activities of man to the real Lagos. Opanubu-Alasholuyi in her paintings of a lady posed beside a pot of flower and another showing a woman carrying a clay pot, depict the beauty, industry and resilience of the African woman.

While Lawanson’s painting of a fishmonger selling her fish in the rain under a numbrella disclosed how the Nigerian women assiduously work, sometimes in inclement situations, to improve on their wellbeing and that of their families.

It tells their sturdy to unhealthy policies at the marketplace and their ability to survive at tough times.

Another work with diverse meanings is Rossi’s “Gator Gaze;” acrocodile in adhesive body filler medium. This work denotes different thing to different people.

For those inland water areas, it illustrates dominion; power over territories and control of other creatures. To some, it is the eyes that protect the weak. Ayeni’s “Flower of Beauty,” a painting of acrylicon canvass captures the come lines of the Nigerian women.

He explores his creativity with the use of bright colours that attracts butterflies. This painting could be a symbolism of Nigeria and by extension, Africa, being the pride of the world with its rich natural endowments. To remind the audience of the nation’s aquatic splendor and marine slum, Olalekan comes up with a painting titled: Seascape.

The painting, oil on canvass, showcases huts and some structures on slits, apart from a few canoes and fishermen berthing. Though, with a multifarious meaning that includes untapped resources, poverty amid wealth, survival strategy, among others, the artist introduces a blend of the realism, telling the story of the nation’s marine fronts, especially those around the urban centres.

Not running away from the city and its story, Ekhalyeme Augustine puts up a painting titled,”Urban Bloom,” a drawing on a crylic on canvas. It describes the conviviality in the urban centres.

The title captures the essence of the painting, which features abstract, colorful spheres (like blooming elements) amid a backdrop that suggests a nurbanor textured environment.

The painting tells of the story of a bustling city where five unique ‘blooms’ emerge from a concrete-like base.

Each bloom represents a different face of creativity and expression in an urban land scape. The vibrant colours symbolize the energy and diversity of city life, while the abstract background hints at the complexity and textures of the urban environment.

As these blooms grow, they bring life and colour to the city’s rigid structures, showing how art and nature can thrive even in unexpected places. Opening the event earlier, Chairman, Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), Lagos State Chapter, Kolawole K. Olojo-Kosoko, disclosed that the aim of this exhibition is deeply rooted in the need to highlight the beauty, boldness, and diversity of creativity through visualart.

“By emphasizing the interconnected value of art, education, and culture,this initiative provides a platform that brings arte ducators, students, schools, and the wider public in to a meaningful network.”

It is a space for discovery, dialogue, and inspiration, one that strengthens our collective understanding of the role of the arts in shaping local and global communities,” hesaid.According to him, the exhibition aligns with a broader vision: to promote art and tourism, extend Nigerian creativity to the international stage, and encourage cross-cultural exchange, adding that through these engagements, the artists nurture a generation equipped with values, open-mindedness, and the critical awareness needed to challenge stereotypes and effect positive change.Hesaid:“It also encourages art teachers to embrace are new sense of pride in the aircraft, fostering professional confidence and reaffirming the significance of creativity in nation-building. In every society, the arts serve as a powerful tool for social enlightenment, advocacy and positive transformation.“They illuminate hidden truths, provoke critical thinking, preserve cultural memory, and offer platforms for conversations that can reshape attitudes, policies, and collective consciousness.

Art communicates what words often cannot; ithumanises issues,inspires empathy ,empowers communities, and mobilises action. Through advocacy art, will confront socialinjustices, question harmful norms,and amplify the stories of those of ten unheard, ”he noted.For Director General, CRIMMD, Dr Raphael James, the exhibition is a platform where art, inspiration, and connections blend seamlessly. “As art teachers, you are the catalysts of creativity; shaping minds and fostering expression.