Osaghae: Visual Chronicles of a Society in Flux
Jess Castellote & Akinyemi Adetunji

About the Book

Despite having one of the most vibrant art worlds in Africa, there is a painful lack of documentation on artists, artworks, events and art institutions in Nigeria. The scarcity of museums and galleries displaying contemporary art prevents a broad access by the general public to most works done in past decades. A very sizable proportion of these works remains in the stores and on the walls of private collectors. The “Artists’ Monograph Series”, initiated by the Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos aims at addressing this urgent need for art documentation. A series of good quality and affordable monographs on modern and contemporary Nigerian artists will make it possible for many people to have access to them and will contribute to the process of documenting Nigerian Art.

The first monograph in the series, OSAGHAE – Visual Chronicles of a Society in Flux is devoted to one of the foremost contemporary artists in Nigeria – Ben Osaghae. In addition to biographical information on the artist and a scholarly analysis of his work, the book features over 130 images of works produced by Osaghae in a period spanning more than three decades; from the tentative pieces of his early years at Auchi to the assertive and confident works of recent years.  Castellote and Adetunji offer the general public a rigorous – accessible and easy to read – introduction to the oeuvre of Osaghae, placed in the context of Nigerian contemporary art.

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