Ije Art Movement is a small art group of 5 founding member young artists, motivated by telling the stories of African realities through art. It was launched 2 years ago in Awka, Anambra state, Nigeria. The group organizes a themed exhibition annually and moves the exhibition to other locations within the country.

Through their artistic expression, Ije Art Movement hopes to enlighten the society about cultural values that upholds the virtues of communal life, which the wisdom the forefathers left behind. By so doing, it aims at engendering a society that is more conscious and socially accommodating for the growth and progress of all.

The Artists

Sculptor/Environmentalist

Njoku Moses creates sculptural works with a variety of media and believes that an artist is like a mirror to the society, therefore working with the mindset that his art will have a positive impact on the general public. However, his personal style addresses social and environmental issues both thematically and in use of materials.  His artistic style takes inspiration from the limitless abundance of sculpture media to create works of art that showcase the concepts of repurposing, reusing and environmental sustainability. He strives to create works that support nature and better living environment for all.

Painter/Psychologist

Dumebi Okuagu is a young psychologist and artist. He is passionate about his profession(s) and dreams of merging psychology with his art. His passion was born out of a need to awaken the consciousness of mental health awareness in his community and the world at large. He has chosen to use art because he believes it is a universal language and is the language he best expresses himself with. Taking advantage of the therapeutic powers of art to touch as many lives as possible has always been his drive.

Architect/Lecturer

Chinelo Jenifer Enemuo is a Nigerian based Urban Design Architect, Arts Curator and Creative Storyteller. She's the founder of Nelen Studios: a creative arts space in Awka, Anambra State, in the eastern part of Nigeria which currently partners with local creatives of varying art genres to produce unique and Afro-centric content that is of global significance and value. She also teaches Urban and Regional planning at a Federal University of technology here in Nigeria.

Fashion and textile artist

Ugochukwu Ifedioramma Dike is a Textile Artist with an epic fiber and textile art pedigree. He is the son of renowned artist, Late Dr. Ifedioramma Dike who was a stalwart figure in Nigerian contemporary art scene. Having participated in several exhibitions, he continues to evolve in an experimental approach to his practice, incorporating and exploring different media with particular interest in textiles. Inspired by the strides of his father, he now carries on a vibrant art legacy through his works as he seeks to explore the all-important relevance of textiles to man.

Sculptor/Ink Drawing

Asiegbu Collins is a young vibrant sculptor with an appreciable rendition of human forms in metal inspired by different kinds of dance styles, body movements and how the human form interprets its interesting flow. For him, artists are the keepers of time and that is what inspires him to explore and document with his art the concept of different native dance styles. He finds time to scribble thoughts and feelings with his Red ink. Stylistically with his subject of interest, he can be classified as a contemporary artist who reflects the enrichments of his generation.

The Work

I Don’t Care is a relief sculpture made from plastic waste. It alludes to the current state of cultural decadence and nonchalant attitude of the younger population to the cultural values that is shared as a collective identity by the community. This concept is portrayed by the sarcastic pose of the female figure at the center of the piece and by the use of the native ‘Abriba’ men’s cap she dons, which is in itself an abuse of dress code as accepted by the society. Then surrounding her are motifs driven from contemporary and topical issues that act as a distraction to the young people in Nigeria, such as phones, cars, private jets, Benz, betting, fashion, money and so on. Also, the artistic medium used to raise awareness on the global impact of inappropriate use and disposal of wastes and thereby pointing towards reusing and repurposing as some of the ways forward.  

Learning Disorder

Did you know that one in every six children is Dyslexic?

With this ratio, it is unfair to continue with the status quo as regards to our educational system pretending these do not exist. Learning disabilities may manifest in the form of dyslexia, dyscalculia, or Dysgraphia. The amazing thing is that these children have their areas of strength, they often have a good imagination and can learn best when they are given extra time and attention.

I am dyslexic and with a better knowledge of my difficulties, I can manage it better now. A troubled child is a troubled nation.

Shaku

The Nigerian music industry has experienced rapid growth and evolution over the past two decades. The evolution of Nigerian dance series is a documentary that attempts to capture some of the popular contemporary dance styles that have helped shape the industries over the years.

Agboho muo is an age-long native character of the Igbos in eastern Nigeria which exhibits her performances at special events, entertaining its audience with her beautiful mask and lovely body decorated with vibrant colored materials. But unique things of the sort are gradually going down the drain when they should be an inspiration for an improved tomorrow. So with my artistic expression, I decided to document these characters and their uniqueness and hope it stimulates an evolutions process for our contemporary times to develop on.

Ije's first outing organized by Action Aid Art for Development

This year's exhibition titled 'Culture' hoped to showcase our values and norms as a people. Culture being a people's way of life has inspired the theme and artistic expressions taking place in 2 or 3-dimensional works that were created to further portray the artists' views on how culture has helped the growth or stagnated the society.