For Our History & Our Art! Victor Ehikhamenor & Laolu Senbanjo Address Damien Hirst’s Copy of Classic Ife Art Work

British Artist, David Hirst created art replicas of historical and classical Nigerian artwork. He then, basically, whispered that the work bears close resemblance to Ile-Ife art.

If we hear??? Will you say it louder, Mr. Hirst? Say it louder! Yoruba art. Nigerian art.

Louder…

ILE-IFE. YORUBA. NIGERIAN ART.

Anyway, talented Nigerian artists Victor Ehikhamenor and Laolu Senbanjo are not here for any form of appropriation. After being colonized by the British for so long, our lands raped and plundered, our art work stolen and exhibited in British museums, how can we stand by and watch our history slowly eroded further?

See screenshots of Victor and Laolu’s complaints on social media.

So what can we do to stop things like this happening?

1: Take more interest in promoting our art and culture. If we don’t do it, foreigners will take it and repackage it as their own.

2: Take pride in our history and pass on our stories to the next generation. Imagine your children will thinking the Bronze Heads came from ‘abroad’.

3: Read up on our history and culture. Share the knowledge. Then read some more.

4: Be proud of our history and heritage. Don’t let anybody let you believe our art is primitive.

5: Call out thieves, and people who are appropriate our art.

Having said that, please, abeg… Mr. Hirst, (and other foreigners who think it’s cool to appropriate Nigerian arts and culture) stop IT.

Just stop. Okay?

Stop!

Here’s a review on David Hirst’s exhibition in Art News. We shall say no more.