Amidst the bustling streets of Nigeria, a vibrant and often overlooked community of female street artists emerges. These women wield brushes and colours to create captivating works of art that reflect their talent and resilience.
Defying societal norms and challenges, they use the urban landscape as their canvas, painting stories of strength, beauty, and empowerment with each stroke. By turning ordinary pavements into colourful masterpieces that captivate passersby, they highlight pressing issues such as corruption, inequality, insecurity, and injustice.
Meet the female artists transforming sidewalks into masterpieces
Sarah Adenike Sanni
Saani, also known as ‘Ceracerni,’ is the Creative Director of the CERA CERNI mural company. She studied computer science at the University of Benin. Despite becoming a Software developer at an IT firm, she desired to pursue her passion for art and acquired books on art that helped upgrade her skills.
“I get inspired by the things I see around me every day. I take note of details, from looking intensely at someone’s face while I’m speaking with them to understanding the composition of a tree’s bark, the colours of things, and the beauty of nature in general,” she shared while speaking on her source of inspiration for her murals. Her work includes designing bathrooms, salons, hotels, living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, studios, dance house clubs, and churches.
Sanni has worked with brands like The Icecream Factory, Molfix, Heineken, Mai Atafo, and LittleBigKid. She hopes that someday, all the walls in Nigeria will be awash with her paintings and designs.
In 2020, she expanded her Art Company by establishing her new brainchild, Cera Cerni’s Art Hub, where art is taught and displayed to paying customers. The hub is also keenly intended to be firmly etched on the social map of Lagos as the premium venue for recreational painting and pottery sessions open to all sundry at all times of the day.
Polly Alakija
Alakija was born in 1966 in Malvern, England, and studied Art at the Oxford Polytechnic before completing a teaching diploma in the Montessori Method. She had her first exhibition when she was 18, then moved to Nigeria in 1989, where she married and began a family. Since 2005, she has worked in Nigeria, South Africa, and England and has exhibited internationally and locally. These days, she finds herself doing more mural art, focusing on educational projects, and holding small, quiet exhibitions.
Some of her displayed works included canvas works inspired by dance, painted objects used by Nigerians such as canoes, and portraits with a common theme of mother and child images inspired by her sojourn in urban and rural Nigeria. Alakija also worked on the Falomo Bridge, which was once considered unsafe until she transformed it after the Lagos state government contracted her.
Speaking on her inspiration for the mural, she said,
“My office overlooked this space, a dark no-go area, considered unsafe. I was amazed that such a location, with its millions of weekly passersby, had not received more attention. With the kidnapping of the Chibok girls, this space became intrinsically linked to the BBOG (Bring Back Our Girls) movement, whose campaigners used the site as a convening location. It was clear to me that any visuals in this space that did not acknowledge the suffering of these girls, many others, and their families would be disrespectful. The faces were the relevant response to the recent history of the space, and the receding strong flyover “legs” were the perfect canvas on which to recognise female strength, beauty, support, and resilience.”
Fasilat Omolola Eletu
A rising star in the Nigerian street art scene, Fasilat is known for her bold and expressive style. Her murals often feature powerful images and messages that strongly impact viewers. Her work is known for its powerful imagery and strong messages, addressing social issues and advocating for change. Fasilat’s murals have sparked important conversations and inspired others to use art as activism.
One powerful example is the mural at the Lagos State Emergency Transit Centre, which is a powerful testament to the transformative potential of art. The piece portrays Rita Abu, a returnee from Libya who found her path in technology and serves as a beacon of hope for migrants and young girls alike. Beside her stands Adaora Nwodo, a multi-award-winning software engineer pioneered mixed reality technology.
Eletu’s mural beautifully captures their essence with a striking blue background, combined with vibrant colours that draw the eye and tell the inspiring stories of Rita and Adaora. In her own words,
“Art is therapeutic for me. Just the same way I want to make it therapeutic for others too.”
This mural is a vibrant ode to women in tech, featuring two remarkable individuals who have broken barriers and inspired countless others. The mural has inspired activism and solidarity, encouraging people to work towards a more inclusive society. Her murals serve as a platform for social activism, raising awareness about issues such as gender equality and human rights.
By showcasing their talent and dedication, female street artists break barriers and inspire others to pursue their artistic passions fearlessly. Their vibrant artwork not only colours the streets but also paints a brighter future for women in the art world.
As we conclude our exploration of Nigerian street artists and murals, it becomes evident that these artistic expressions are not mere adornments but profound mirrors reflecting our nation’s soul and the unity in our diversity.
