Interrogating Collective Memory in ‘Our Heritage: The Kingship Exhibition’

Yinka Olatunbosun

In an era where cultural memory is increasingly contested, ‘Our Heritage: The Kingship Exhibition’ emerges as both an artistic gathering and a civic reminder – a reaffirmation that history, identity, and lineage are not abstract ideas, but lived realities preserved through artistic expression. Hosted at The Moorings Sociable Club in Thamesmead, London, this one-day exhibition brought together a diverse group of artists unified by a single mission: to honour the depth, symbolism, and creative brilliance of African art across centuries.

Curated by Ife Olowu, the exhibition sits at the intersection of tradition and contemporary storytelling. The show’s central purpose hinges on promoting cultural diversity and championing the presence of African art within London’s expanding art ecosystem. This mission was palpable not only in the works exhibited, but in the audience response. Conversations ranged from questions about historical restitution to reflections on the enduring creative legacy of Africa’s kingdoms and empires.
Among the standout contributors was Olanrewaju Atanda, whose works offered a gripping visual dialogue between the past and the present. Through two monochromatic mixed-media drawings namely “Looted: Bini Bronze Head” and “Looted: Ife Bronze Head”. Atanda revisited one of the most painful yet globally significant chapters of African history: the removal and displacement of thousands of bronze works during colonial expeditions.

Atanda’s Bini Bronze Head is not merely an artistic homage, but it is a reclamation. Rooted in the pre-13th-century bronze artistry of the Benin Kingdom, the drawing revisits the tragic 1897 invasion that led to the mass looting of royal artefacts currently housed across major Western museums. Rendered in white pastel on black paper, the work bridges restraint and brilliance. Its luminous gradients hint at the quiet power of an empire whose cultural sophistication predates many of the institutions where its treasures now reside.

In “Looted: Ife Bronze Head,” Atanda turns his attention to the ancient Yoruba city of Ilé-Ifẹ̀, long regarded as a cradle of refined naturalistic bronze sculpture, dating as far back as 800 AD. Through meticulous detail and symbolic understatement, the artist reimagines the iconic Ife heads in a way that invites viewers to confront their unresolved histories. How does a culture continue to live with what has been taken? And what might restitution look like in contemporary times?

Atanda’s choice of a single colour on a stark black background amplifies the emotional undercurrent of both works: the beauty, resilience, and intellectual sophistication of African kingdoms expressed with almost nothing yet speaking volumes.

The curatorial tone of Our Heritage: The Kingship Exhibition resonated throughout the gallery floor. The show carried a warmth that is often missing from institutional settings. Families, elders, young artists, community leaders, and art enthusiasts moved through the exhibition in steady waves, absorbing not only the artworks but the generational stories behind them.
For Atanda, the exhibition’s purpose is deeply personal. His artist statement grounds the show’s themes in a universal, human truth:
“Our origin is our heritage, and something to be proud of: Black –cradle of all humanity.”

With its bold focus on kingship, identity, and ancestral lineage, the show positions African heritage not as a relic to be observed, but as a living force within the global art conversation. For London, a city enriched by its African diaspora, exhibitions like this offer more than cultural programming; they serve as platforms for historical correction, artistic empowerment, and cross-cultural understanding.
As the sun set over Thamesmead, one thing was clear: Our Heritage: The Kingship Exhibition has carved its own space within London’s cultural landscape – one that honours history, confronts loss, and celebrates the enduring genius of African art.