Shodipo launches Vanguard Gallery, opens with show on Obasanjo

From December 27, 2024, the Vanguard Gallery will showcase ‘In the Act of Becoming: An Ode to Self and Story’, a group exhibition featuring artworks from Ibrahim Bamidele and Azeez Salami as well as archival materials from the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL).

Curated by the gallery’s founder, Modeleola Shodipo, she said this inaugural exhibition marks the launch of a platform dedicated to spotlighting black artists and particularly engaging audiences with art as a lens into the African continent’s ever-evolving socio-political landscape.

With a focus on narratives of Africa and its diaspora, she said she established the gallery to create spaces where history and imagination converge. Through In The Act of Becoming: An Ode to Self and Story, she aims to ignite conversations about identity and purpose, celebrating the continent’s vibrant voices on their own terms.

She further revealed that the exhibition also centres one of Africa’s most influential leaders, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, but looks far beyond his public persona into dimensions rarely explored. By reflecting on his extraordinary journey – from his roots in Abeokuta to his roles as a military leader, statesman, farmer and writer – the exhibition explores the layers of identity that shape an individual.

It examines the profound journey to self-awareness and purpose required to lead a life in service of something greater than oneself. Through this lens, the show invites audiences to reflect on their own paths, identities and contributions to the world around them.

Featuring a mix of artistic voices, the show is complemented by a documentary screening that offers guests a glimpse into a day in the life of Obasanjo.
Together, these elements create a multigenerational and multimedia dialogue that bridges the past, present and future.

Ibrahim Bamidele is a Nigerian multimedia artist whose portraits are characterised by the use of ankara fabrics, newsprint and rich dark tones, a striking reflection of his own cultural heritage. Working across photography and painting, Bamidele’s work explores religious, political and societal themes drawing from his immediate environment.

He has participated in exhibitions globally, including 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair New York (2024) and 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair London (2023).

Azeez Salami uses chess as a metaphor for life in his evocative paintings, exploring themes of resilience and transformation. His work captures the choices and challenges that define personal journeys, inviting viewers to reflect on their own. Based in Lagos, Salami has participated in numerous exhibitions, workshops and competitions, earning recognition as the First Runner-Up in the 2018 Nigeria Student Art Competition.

Aside from celebrating black artists and African narratives, Shodipo said part of the gallery’s ethos is to excite audiences to engage with art from the African continent and its diaspora, connecting them to the continuous stream of our ever-evolving socio-political scape. “We meet at the intersection of historical context and imaginative possibility and ultimately invite.”