Deconstructing Home, Building Bridges in A Group Exhibition

Yinka Olatunbosun

Beyond its storied historic coastline, ancient coconut groves, and tranquil waterways, Badagry is laden with artistic revival driven by its youth. In a compelling assertion of identity and place, the Badagry Young Contemporaries (BYC) staged their latest group exhibition, titled With Love, From Home at the Alliance Francaise, Mike Adenuga Centre, Ikoyi.

Curated by Paul Ayihawu and Ladunni Lambo, under the auspices of the Badagry Contemporary Art Foundation, the exhibition which ran from July 11 to August 1 served as a visual love letter to the ancient coastal town. Moving away from monolithic historical tropes, the show reflected intimate, multi-faceted portraits of contemporary life, memory, and spatial belonging.

Featuring seven artists, With Love, From Home assembled emerging visual artists, thinkers, and cultural practitioners spanning multiple disciplines—from oil and acrylic painting to pyro-collage, mixed-media assembly, and digital illustration. The collection explores what it means to create art from the geographical and emotional periphery, converting local narratives into universal conversations.

“For too long, the narrative of Nigerian contemporary art has centered almost exclusively around the urban hubs of Lagos Island and Victoria Island,” notes curator Paul Ayihawu. “With Love, From Home” is both an invitation and a declaration. It invites the world to look closely at Badagry’s modern creative pulse, while declaring that vital, world-class art is being produced right here at home.”

The artworks on display reflect a rich tapestry of techniques and thematic concerns. Several pieces draw deeply from Ogu humanism and spiritual traditions, translating rhythmic coastal living, traditional masquerade practices, and communal rituals into vibrant visual canvases. Others interrogate socio-economic survival, using domestic objects, burnt textures, and figurative portraits to honor the quiet resilience of everyday people—from local fishermen navigating the lagoon at dawn to market women sustaining community life.

Spitfire compositions of street culture and contemporary graffiti sit alongside meticulous pencil studies, demonstrating a stylistic breadth that challenges conventional expectations of regional art. Satirical commentary on national realities mixes seamlessly with nostalgic depictions of childhood games and family heritage, creating an atmosphere that feels both urgent and deeply familiar.

Beyond showcasing individual talent, With Love, From Home embodies BYC’s broader mission: establishing Badagry as a self-sustaining node of critical thought and artistic production. Through community mentorship, public dialogue, and collaborative showcases, the collective is actively building an ecosystem where young artists do not have to leave home to find their voice.

As visitors wander through the gallery space, greeted by rich earthy tones, maritime blues, and expressive figurative works, the exhibition’s title reveals its true depth. With Love, From Home is not merely an art show; it is a proud reaffirmation of heritage, a tribute to community resilience, and a bold step forward for Badagry’s rising generation of master storytellers.

With Love, From Home explores three questions: What is home? Where is home? Who is home? These questions invite reflection on the many ways home is experienced and remembered. For some, home is rooted in geography; for others, it exists in memory, relationships, language, traditions, or a sense of belonging. It can be a place of comfort, a point of origin, or a longing for something lost, yet to be discovered.

The seven participating artists respond to these notions through diverse visual languages, translating memories, emotions, and everyday encounters into intimate artworks of identity and connection. Together, their works form a series of open letters that are fragmented into unique stories that resonate across different expressions. For Andrew Oshodobo, self-discovery, cultural identity, and the spiritual relationship between ancestry and personal existence are at the core of his practice. His ‘Oviedo series’ focused on reclaiming indigenous Edo identity and heritage within contemporary spaces shaped by Western influence and cultural displacement. Working primarily with acrylic, print, and collage on paper, Oshodobo reflects an ongoing negotiation between tradition and contemporary experience.

Ashele Israel, a multimedia artist, presented his works as metaphors for self-expression. He works with figures and tangible objects to explore themes like identity, culture as well as neo-colonialism His works include Catch Me If You Can I and II as well as No Refund I and II.

Mariam who resides in Badagry worked in pyro-collage, ceramics, and photography, which she uses as expressive media. Through Pyro-collage, she captured her personal journey in works such as The Archival Within I and II. The burnt edges symbolise the darker moments of her life, including surviving a suicide attempt, while the unburnt areas represent her hopeful future. Mariam’s work often explores themes of body positivity and the transformative power of challenges. Through her art, she celebrates resilience.

Muktar Mustafa, a Lagos-based, Nigerian traditional illustrator who specialises in ink on paper and acrylic, creates surreal worlds and distinct characters to tell complex and immersive stories. Negotiating nostalgia in Wanderer and Welcome Home, his works are inspired by old newspaper comic strips, western comics, manga and animation to replicate motion and environment.

On his part, Olayinka Muyideen worked with coconut shells, woven mats, indigenous fabrics, and found materials to probe the themes of belonging, resilience, and emotional repair. Inspired by Ogu cosmology, Yoruba material culture, and personal experience, his recent works such as Held in Your Presence, A House Made of Hands and The Space We Share reinterpret the ìlàrí—a traditional Yoruba comb—as interconnected figures symbolising care, unity, and the invisible bonds that hold people together.

Olanrewaju Olagoke, known artistically as Larry the Great, is a Nigerian self-taught artist whose vibrant style merges illustration, graffiti, and contemporary painting. His works explore themes of identity, growth, and transformation, often featuring dynamic figures and his signature Spiral Effect, a technique symbolising energy and evolution. Larry’s art establishes the balance between fantasy and reality, reflecting personal experiences and the universal struggle of becoming one’s true self. Through every piece, Larry the Great expresses freedom, resilience, and the beauty of progress using art as both reflection and revelation.

Sejiro Mesewaku, a contemporary painter based in Badagry, Nigeria presented works that bridge formal academic training with independent studio practice. Mesewaku’s practice is rooted in Ogu spirituality and the history of Badagry. In His 50 Shades of Shege I, II and III, he treats the human body as a site for memory, and identity, employing stitch motifs to explore themes of trauma, survival, and repair. Working across oil, wood, and paper, he frequently incorporates raw materials like coffee stains and spray paint to examine how different surfaces retain history and ancestral heritage.