“Art is power. It can influence perception, opinion and values.” – Ossie Davis.
Nigerian women have long used art as a powerful tool for social commentary and change, whether through textiles, pottery, or basketry.
This visibly came to life through artworks like the terracotta sculptures of the Nok people that often depicted women in positions of power and authority or even the Anambra’s Igbo Ukwu bronze artefacts that depicted women as priestesses.
Bold brushstrokes and vibrant colours bring their canvases to life, sparking crucial conversations about social issues. Their art amplifies marginalised voices, inspires collective action, and fuels resistance. Each piece’s impact ripples out, igniting purpose and unity in communities.
More female artists have emerged in recent years, using their art as a powerful tool for activism and social change. People like Peju Alatishe, Chioma Agwuegho, and many more continue this tradition of activism, using their platforms to challenge societal norms.
In this article, we will explore the work of some of these remarkable women and how they’re using art to make a difference.
The Nigerian female artists using art as activism
Etinosa Yvonne
Etinosa is a Nigerian visual artist and documentary photographer covering social development issues in Nigeria, including gender-based violence. Speaking with Global Citizen, she explains her decision to shed light on these women, saying, “In Nigerian society, women aren’t perceived as human beings, but as things and property that can be owned and treated however the so-called owners please.”
The visual artist goes on to stress the difficulties Nigerian women face, adding, “They say the world has always been a difficult place for women, but Nigerian women have it 10, maybe 100 times worse because we are disenfranchised across all levels of Nigerian society.”
Deployed to the Northeast of Nigeria courtesy of the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) “Unheard Voices from Nigeria” project, Etinosa has gained extensive experience covering gender-based violence (GBV) and other issues facing women and girls in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps and rural communities. For the project, Etinosa also collected the stories and experiences of the women she photographed to help amplify their voices.
Usen Esiet, the creative producer at UNFPA who commissioned Etinosa for the “Unheard Voices from Nigeria” project, told Global Citizen that “Etinosa’s unique visual language translates the urgency of the issue, which we think is lacking in many of the ways these stories are told.”
Zina Saro-Wiwa
The daughter of the late Ken Saro-Wiwa, an environmental activist, this artist uses video, photography, sound, distillation, food, performance lectures, and institution-building to tell stories and share research and meditation findings to raise awareness about environmental issues in the Niger Delta.
Her subjects of interest are primarily environmentalism, where she explores invisible and spiritual ecologies and the nature of power. She is constantly studying and re-imagining indigeneity.
As part of her performance series “Illicit Gin Institute“, she draws upon the rain and war deity, Sarogua, of the Ogoni people from the Niger Delta in Nigeria and the ancestral tradition of harvesting palm wine and distilling it into “illicit gin.”
The wine was labelled “illicit” by British officers due to their inability to tax it during their occupation of Nigeria in the 1930s and 1940s. Saro-Wiwa makes bottles of palm wine from her craft distillery in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and uses her photographs to adorn each bottle, turning them into art objects rather than consumer goods.
Saro-Wiwa was named one of Foreign Policy Magazine’s Global Thinkers of 2016 for her work in the Niger Delta. She was the Artist-in-Residence at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, from 2016-2017 and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for Fine Art in April 2017.
She has given talks and shown work regularly at Biennales and museums worldwide. She runs her not-for-profit, the Mangrove Arts Foundation, which uses art, culture, food and agricultural projects, including her Illicit Gin Institute, to transform the fate of the oil-cursed Niger Delta. She is also working on her first-ever feature film, titled Eucharia.
Peju Alatise
While many artists create work to serve a modern-day audience through trending colours, themes and mediums, this Nigerian-based artist creates jarring sculptures to convey messages. The sculptress and author creates pieces that call for the liberty of young Nigerian women and, in her way, boldly address issues of gender, feminism, and social injustice. Her art often explores the experiences of women and girls in Nigerian society, shining a light on the challenges they face and advocating for gender equality.
Alatise’s powerful sculptures and installations prompt viewers to think critically about social issues and inspire conversations about gender norms. She defines her artistic practice as a search for truth, and to this end, much of her work centres on women in Nigeria and the political and religious issues at the heart of the country.
Speaking on the inspiration for Flying Girls, Peju explains that the sculpture was created to prioritise female children and escape sexualisation.
The artist says,
“They are a group of girls… and their wings are made in dreams to protect them from uninvited visitors… It prevents them from entering the inner space of the girls’ secure circle. A way of prioritising children the artist would like to see applied not only to this artwork but to some laws of the country too.”
She has been recognised for her powerful and thought-provoking work, which challenges societal norms and promotes positive change. Alatise is a fellow at the National Museum of African Art, part of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian Institute has collected her work, and her debut novel, Orita Meta, chronicling the interwoven path of three women, was nominated for the ANA/Flora Nwapa Prize for Women’s Writing in 2006.
Njideka Akunyili Crosby
Crosby is a Nigerian-born visual artist known for her intricate and powerful paintings that blend Nigerian and American influences. Crosby challenges stereotypes and celebrates the richness of Nigerian culture while shedding light on race, gender, and politics.
In her methodically layered compositions, Crosby combines painted depictions of people, places, and subjects from her life with photographic transfers derived from her personal image archive, Nigerian magazines and other mass media sources. The resulting works are visual tapestries that portray contemporary life’s personal and social dimensions while evocatively exploring themes of cultural identity, immigration, and the complexities of the diasporic experience.
Several of Crosby’s paintings portray tender moments between her and her American husband. The two had a church and a village wedding in Nigeria in 2009, following her campaign to get her father accustomed to the idea.
“When a Nigerian woman marries out of her culture, there is a feeling that she has turned her back on her people,” she explained. “I wanted to make clear in my work that I love Nigeria. I love my husband. I don’t have to choose.”
She has received widespread acclaim for her work and has been recognised for her contributions to contemporary art. The artist was awarded an honorary doctorate from Swarthmore College in May 2019. She has also received a 2017 MacArthur Fellowship and several awards and grants.
Sola Olulode
Olulode is a visual artist whose figurative paintings portray a nuanced and tender vision of relationships and intimacy. She creates delicate portrayals of queer love through her figurative works by capturing daily life narratives and exploring the tangled dynamics of human interactions.
Giving prominence to the representation of black women and non-binary bodies, she creates an uplifting mood by depicting affectionate encounters. Influenced by Yoruba Adire textiles, Olulode renders intimate scenes of romance and black womanhood.
She received a BA in Fine Art Painting from the University of Brighton in 2018. She has participated in many solo and group shows, such as von Goetz, V.O. Curations, Alice Black, Carl Freedman Gallery, Christie’s Education and Lisson Gallery. Artsy’s “Portrayals of Black Joy” Campaign featured her work. Her work has appeared on public screens within the transit systems of several major U.S. cities.
Through the voices of these unconventional female artists, art possesses the extraordinary ability to transform society. By challenging norms, fostering human connection, and shedding light on critical issues, their work shapes our perceptions, inspires dialogue, and empowers individuals and communities to create a more inclusive and just world.
