Nigerian Mixed Media Artist Finds Expression On Native Fabric, Cultural Motifs

As a creative artist engaged in traditional and contemporary art forms, Wanger Ayu explores multicultural themes to project African cultural values to the world.

Also doubling as a fashion designer, Ayu is currently interrogating the Tiv’s A’nger fabric, using the patterns to enhance her paintings, printmaking and collage.

Although every artwork has a story behind it, the artist revealed that the diverse cultures and people she has come across in the course of her travels informed her genre of art.

According to her: “I had never been connected to who I am as a person before now. My father is Tiv from Benue and my mother is from Esan, Edo State, while I am born in Jos, Plateau State, but lives in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria.”

Connecting her journeys, perhaps, subconsciously to the rest of the world, Ayu, who had part of her education in England, and lived in Dubai, UAE, for a while before returning to Nigeria to do the compulsory one year National Youth Service in Enugu State, disclosed that her exposure to different people and cultures other than her native Tiv culture only is making her dwell on the multi-culture art form for expression

The artist, who now lives in Lagos, held her debut show titled, Weaving Identity. The two-man show, which was held from December 17 to 23, 2021 at DICA Art, Lagos, showcased some of Ayu’s cultural exploits on the canvass.

Appearing in mixed media, the works were set on native fabric and cultural motifs.

As a debutant in an art exhibition, she said: “The exhibition sold out.”

Apart from celebrating her native Tiv’s A’nger fabric, Ayu’s paintings showed her versatility on figurative works.

Her works, she noted are emerging in phases and will soon dominate the art space. She said: “The works are phased with ‘multiplicity’ being the first part. I am ultimately focused on disruptions: breaks, ruptures, and disruptive events and their effects on the individual, the family and the society.”

Pieces like Kura (keep watch or guard), acrylic on A’nger cloth; Kumakavwen (it is time to understand), white charcoal pencil, acrylic on A’nger cloth mounted on canvas; Bundesaan (no longer lost), acrylic canvas and Avadoo (it shall be good), white charcoal pencil and acrylic are among works that celebrate the beauty of finding expression in mix media of traditional and contemporary art forms.