In King Jaja, Cookey chronicles Nigerian history, heritage at Alexis Galleries

King Jaja of Opobo was a very gracious leader who earned his way out of slavery by being a great businessman. By 1869, he had gained quite a large influence and started the Opobo City-State.

In 1884, at the infamous Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, a meeting of 14 colonial powers organised by Otto von Bismarck, the first chancellor of Germany, at the request of Leopold II of Belgium, European nations declared that Opobo was a British territory but Jaja refused and kept taxing British traders.

When he went to negotiate with them again, he was arrested, tried, and sent to London where he would eventually meet Queen Victoria. In 1891, he was granted permission to return home but was allegedly poisoned on the return voyage. Shortly after his death the stability of Opobo began to decline rapidly.

Last Saturday, this narrative of Opobo took over the landscape of Alexis Galleries, Victoria Island, Lagos, through a debut solo show of paintings by Ibim Cookey. Sponsored by The Macallan, Cerebral Palsy Centre, Coca Cola, Mikano, Art Cafe, Bombay Sapphire, The Guardian, Tiger, UPS, Aina Blankson Global, Haier Thermocool, Nigeria Info, Cobranet, Berol and Schweppes, the show, titled, King Jaja and curated by Sabo Kpade, will run from January 18, 2025 – February 1, 2025.

Through his work, Cookey explores themes of history, identity and power, which coloured Opobo history of the 19th-century. Born 1821 in Umuduruoha, Amaigbo, present-day Imo State, Jubo Jubogha ‘Jaja’ of the Sam Annie-Pepple House was the founder and first king (Amanyanabo) of the Opobo Kingdom in present-day Rivers State and Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. Originally belonging to the Igbo ethnicity, he was initiated into the Ijaw people during his time in Bonny.

Founder and Director of Alexis Galleries, Patty Chidiac-Mastrogiannis, describes Cookey as “one of the most interesting artists working in Nigeria today,” and the exhibition as “the first in Nigeria to explore in depth, the life and times of King Jaja of Opobo of the Niger Delta region.”

The curator, Sabo Kpade, said, “Cookey’s compositions capture key events in King Jaja’s armed resistance.” Speaking on the challenges he faced in the 11 paintings, the artist said: “I did a lot of research before I began the paintings, and one book that helped me in my research is King Jaja of the Niger Delta…His Life and Times (1821-1891), by Professor S.J.S Cookey, my uncle. That book broke down the story into multiple parts. This show is actually touring exhibition. This is just one part of the show. There will be one in Berlin, Germany, another in South Africa, and one in London. So, I decided that the one in Nigeria I want to summarise the story, to tell the story for us here first. When I go into the other exhibitions I will now focus on different parts of the story. The one in the UK will focus on the civil war. The one in the U.S. is going to focus on Jaja’s tussle with the British people and the palm oil trade, and another one will focus on the boat regatta.”

Ibim said the exhibition was inspired by the history, culture and identity of his people. “I am from Opobo, Cookey-Gam working house. I feel that this is the history of my people that has been either untold or ‘mistold’ by westerners and it is time to correct and explore that history and expose it to the world.”

The works include The Deposed Jaja (charcoal on paper), The King’s Storyboard (ink and coffee on paper) and Boat Regatta (charcoal and acrylic on paper).

Other paintings at the exhibition are Waterside Economy, Mr. Ozurumba, Civil War, The New Order, Jaja is Lost, King Jaja’s Throne, King Jaja’s Bell and URU.

Ibim says of The Deposed Jaja: “It was taken in the late 19th century after he was deposed as the king by the British, and he was sent on exile to West Indies. His crown was taken from him and given to one of his chiefs who were in partnership with the British.”

For his Jaja is Lost, Cookey said: “King Jaja was originally from Amaigbo in the present Imo State of Nigeria. It was recorded that he was a very stubborn child. His father, as it was customary in Igbo tradition at that time, gave him to one of his uncles who was staying at Nkwere (near Amaigbo). As a young boy, Jaja was always going to the farm on his own to hustle to make a living for himself. On one of his trips, he was kidnapped.

“During that time there was this thing like a cult group called Arochukwu Confederacy. They were notorious for picking up people and selling them into slavery, because then, the British had abolished slavery in 1807, so, Europeans, mostly Spaniards, Portuguese; they would capture slaves that were taken from war or people that were kidnapped and then sold them to their European counterparts or to some rich kings from other communities.

“So, king Jaja was taken and sold to Anna Pepple House of Bonny, because Bonny was far from Imo State and Nkwere which were landlocked, they would take the slaves and trek down to Calabar and Ikot-Ekpene that had a port for them to take the slaves to other parts of Nigeria. So this painting represents that.”

He says the cracks on the floor of the painting, Jaja is Lost, represents the present-day Imo State. “The flag is pointing at where Arochukwu is currentlty in Abia State. And then you can see the charcoals that represent the slave trade, and then the compass that shows the sea and how they navigated back to the place. “If you look behind the man, you will see a silhouette of people that were also captured. The sword on top was the original bronze crafted sculptural sword used by the Arochukwu people then.”

Cookey was a portraitist before his encounter with the art historian, Dr. Ugochukwu-Smooth Nzewi, curator at the Museum of Modern Art, USA.

After their conversation on the direction he wanted his art to go, he said, “I needed to represent my culture. I travelled down to Opobo to get more of the history, knowledge and culture about my place. That was what brought the idea of these paintings.”

Cookey is a Nigerian mixed-media artist whose practice delves into the intersections of art, architecture, and cultural commentary. Born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Cookey earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, a foundation that informed his multidisciplinary approach to visual storytelling. Over the years, Cookey has garnered significant recognition for his artistic contributions.

His work has resonated across borders, featuring prominently in international exhibitions. Recent highlights include Art Basel Miami under Fabrik Gallery; Context Art Miami in the United States, and the Athenaeum Hotel’s Colours of Resilience in Athens, Greece.

He has also participated in London’s Disrupt Space Gallery exhibition at St. James Market Pavilion (2024) and at the West Ham Olympic Stadium in United Kingdom.

Locally, Cookey has been an integral part of Nigeria’s evolving art ecosystem, from being under the mentorship of Renowned Nigerian Artist and Architect, Demas Nwoko, through a residency at New culture design studios to exhibiting in spaces such as Alexis Gallery, Gallery at the Landmark, Delaroke, Art Gallery and contributing to significant cultural dialogues through group and solo showcases.