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NDIDI Dike, one of Nigeria’s major contemporary artists, will open her solo exhibition of latest works titled “State of the Nation: New Works and Installations” at the National Museum Onikan, Lagos, from February 6 through 8, 2016. Time is 3.30pm prompt. The whole idea is to inspire a visual conversation around Nigeria’s collective growth in the pursuit of democratic excellence.
According to Dike, “The concept has subconsciously been gestating in my mind for years but most recently manifested itself in my identification, selection and employment of objects as material metaphors for power, petroleum and politics. These are both literally and figuratively accruements of power as a phenomenon.”
Dike said she derives inspiration from a diverse range of sources including urbanism, consumerism, globalization, post-colonial studies, history of slavery across borders/ country migration, multiculturalism, art history and contemporary politics.
She has participated in numerous exhibitions in Nigeria and internationally, including ‘Seven Stories About Modern Art in Africa,’ Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, England (1995). Recent solo shows include ‘Waka-into Bondage,’ ‘The Last Mile’ at CCA, Lagos (2008) and ‘Unknown Pleasures and Competing Tendencies’ at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos (2012). She currently runs a studio and lives in Lagos, Nigeria.
