Benin’s Creative Powerhouse: Delving Into The Artistic Journeys of UNIBEN Alumni
By Gloria Adegboye
Benin City, the historic capital of the Edo Kingdom, has always carried a certain creative pulse. Its artistic heritage stretches back over five centuries, woven through the hands of the Igun-Eronmwon guild, the master bronze casters behind the world-renowned Benin Bronzes. These intricate brass and bronze plaques, the regal Oba heads, the commemorative sculptures tell stories of skill, prestige, and power. And beyond the metals and carvings, Benin’s spirit lives in its ivory artistry and the vibrant rituals of festivals like Igue, where celebration plays in the belly of tradition. It’s a place where art has never been separate from life, and that deep-rooted culture continues to echo in the work of contemporary artists emerging from an institution like the University of Benin (UNIBEN), where history and modern expression sit side by side.
And it’s true, every environment we pass through leaves its own imprint on us. It shapes the way we think, the risks we take, the fears we eventually put down and the lens with which we view the world with. The artists who studied at UNIBEN are shaped by more than just the coursework; they are shaped by the rhythm of the place, the unexpected conversations in courtyards, the lecturers who nudged them forward, and the tiny crucibles of growth in the moment to moment experiences that can only have been had by virtue of their time in the university. Had they been somewhere else, under a different sky, amongst different people and elements, their artistic voices would have carried a different texture.
A Benin Bronze Head, Guinea Coast, Nigeria, Benin Kingdom, possibly mid 16th or early 17th century. (Image Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art).
The place matters.
UNIBEN, in its own steady way, has always had a strong sense of community. Different artists gathered different things from their time there but so many speak of the same imprint: boldness and an aligned community. A grounded fearlessness and a collective that exists as a pillar of accountability and excellence. UNIBEN teaches you to trust your instincts, to stand firmly in your own voice and to project who you are without apology. And somewhere in the interplay of moving through and creating in the studio halls, living through the shared wins and struggles, and the friendships and warm relationships that turn into creative anchors, the bedrock for an artistic renaissance is formed.
The University of Benin (Image Courtesy of the BBC)
So it’s no surprise that certain years at UNIBEN produced these clusters of artists who went on to stretch the boundaries of contemporary practice. There’s something quietly remarkable about the way creativity blooms in certain places, and UNIBEN had some of those moments.
A handful of alumni, from various yet closely linked sets, have stepped into the art world in recent years with voices so intentional and visceral; born from the same soil, yet branching in their own distinct directions. Different forms, different stories, different practices, all somehow shaped by the same beginning.
This series is my first attempt to trace that spark.
In this series, I spent time sitting with Jonathan Chinedu Chambalin, Uhunoma Prince Charles, Chidinma Nnoli and Ayobami Ogungbe who passed through the University of Benin, listening to their stories and paying attention to the moments that stayed with them, including how they moved through those moments.
Follow us on this journey of shared origins and singular becoming, of how one place can quietly shape many lives, and how those lives, in turn, learn to speak for themselves through art.
Interviews
