Fourteen young Nigerian visual artists-all alumni of Thought Pyramid Art Centre’s Next of Kin Art Competition, through various media explore Japa, one of the most pressing realities in contemporary Nigeria —the emigration wave. Through their lens, the multi-phased project provided the artists the opportunity to investigate the migration phenomenon both introspectively and outwardly through visual storytelling and artistic reflection. Opened recently at the Thought Pyramid Art Centre, Ikoyi Lagos, the exhibition backed by a documentary film, offers a critical look at the systemic, personal, and societal factors fueling Nigeria’s emigration wave. The accompanying film, Jápa: The Search For A Better Life, extends the conversation beyond the canvas. It amplifies the tone of the exhibition and allows the artists to tell their stories in their own voices—stories that are as much about leaving as they are about staying, about hope as much as despair.
The project as a compelling dual-channel one that features a feature-length documentary and a group art exhibition exploring one of the most pressing realities in contemporary Nigeria — mass migration.
The word Japa (with tonal emphasis) is derived from the Yoruba language. It combines “já” (to run) and “pá” (completely) to evoke an urgent escape—a fitting metaphor for the current wave of young Nigerians fleeing the country in search of better opportunities abroad.
The project Japa is a multi-phased project designed to investigate the migration phenomenon both introspectively and outwardly through visual storytelling and artistic reflection. It comprises a documentary film and a group exhibition and presents a narrative of search, sacrifice, resilience, and reckoning.
Together, the film and art exhibition act as a mirror to the nation, and the creative space-revealing not just why people are leaving, but what it means to stay. Japa is not just a critique. It is a call to listen, to reflect, and perhaps, to return.
Founder and Artistic Director, Thought Pyramid Art Centre Chief Jeff Ajueshi stated that the exhibition is not just another showcase of talent; but an intentional statement about continuity, commitment, and responsibility. The exhibition, he said, brings together fourteen remarkable visual artists—all alumni of the Next of Kin Art Competition and Exhibition Series—and in doing so, it affirms the very reason Next of Kin was founded: to discover, nurture, and sustain the growth of Nigeria’s emerging artistic voices.
“It was a deliberate choice to feature only artists who have passed through the Next of Kin platform. Too often in the art ecosystem, emerging practitioners are celebrated briefly, only to be left without guidance, support, or opportunities to advance their careers. At Thought Pyramid Art Centre, we believe that discovery must be followed by development, and competition must give way to community. This art exhibition is, therefore, both a continuation of our promise and a challenge to the wider art world: if more platforms operated like Next of Kin, where participants are not abandoned after the spotlight of the competition fades, then why would our most promising talents feel compelled to look elsewhere—or even leave the country—for sustenance and recognition?
“The theme, Japa, resonates strongly with this question. Migration, driven by the search for better opportunities, has become a pressing reality for many young Nigerians, including artists. Yet, if we create and sustain ecosystems that provide visibility, mentorship, and professional growth, then perhaps the urgency to leave would diminish.
What we have here is proof that Nigerian artists, when supported, can thrive, innovate and contribute meaningfully to both local and global conversations,” he noted.
Executive Producer (Film) and Curator (Art) Mr. Ovie Omatsola recalled that the project was conceived from a deeply personal moment, but as a reflection of a larger national reality. “It demanded a curatorial inquisition. Could art respond to this growing trend of migration? Could it interrogate its causes and effects? I felt there was an urgent need to respond, and that response has become what you now encounter in this exhibition.
“Art, throughout history, has been more than aesthetics; it has been a voice, a mirror, a protest, and a healing balm. In times of social crisis, it is art that often helps us pause, reflect, and confront the truth. Projects like JÁPA are important because they ensure that artists are not just passive observers but active participants in society—using their creativity to illuminate the concerns, choices, and consequences of our shared existence,” he added.
According to him, the participating visual artists in the exhibition did not enter this conversation from a distance, as they have lived experiences of JÁPA. “For Bertha Onyekachi, it was the fatherly absence migration cost her; for Odinakachi Okoroafor, it was the reality of life in Angola; for others, the experience comes through family, friends, or personal longing. Because JÁPA is not an abstract concept but a lived truth, the artworks presented here resonate with authenticity and depth. They are not mere representations; they are testimonials, layered with pain, resilience, longing, and hope,” he said.
The collections embody the desire to give hope, manifestation of highly proverbial visual languages while serving as a repository of long-lasting statements. Each work insists that while migration may be inevitable for some, the narratives we create around it must remain complex, human, and true. This authenticity has become a powerful influence on the project: making it not only inspirational but also deeply relatable.
To Omatsola, it was important that the exhibiting artists are all currently residing in Nigeria. “This decision is not a simplistic declaration that Nigeria is perfect, nor a dismissal of the reasons many choose to leave. Rather, it is a rhetorical representation of Nigeria and the Nigerian spirit: the choice to wrestle with the challenges of staying, the courage to create meaning in the midst of uncertainty, and the insistence that our voices can still shape the narrative of our time,” he added.
The accompanying film, Jápa: The Search For A Better Life, extends this conversation beyond the canvas. It amplifies the tone of the exhibition and allows the artists to tell their stories in their own voices—stories that are as much about leaving as they are about staying, about hope as much as despair. Together, the film and the exhibition form not just an art show, but a lived experience—an immersive journey into the complexities of JÁPA.
“It has taken a long time to get here, but I am grateful that we did. My hope is that this project becomes not only a mirror to society but also a template of how far we can go in telling the right stories through art. With JÁPA, we affirm that art must always respond to society, and in doing so, it has the power to inspire, to question, and to heal,” he noted.
Participating artists include Ademola Ojo, Christian Allison, Olalekan Adeyemi Julius, Caroline Useh, Popoola Nurudeen, Segun Jiboku, Ikechukwu Ezeigwe, Bertha Onyekachi, and Segun Fagorusi. Others are Hassan Abdulazeez, Alogi John, Akinnire Solomon, Odinakachi Okoroafor and Sidney Osioh.
Almost all the works are thought provoking. For instance, Nurudeen’s My Bag of Dreams captures a man who sits where hours gather like dust, the heavy bag on his lap pressing not just against his knees, but against the walls of his heart. Behind him, green and white stretch, like an unbroken memory, a flag that once fluttered in his laughter, now whispering questions in the wind.
However, his gaze is fixed on a distance that is both promise and exile, each minute a tug between staying and going. Symbolically, the weight he carries is not only cloth and metal, but the quiet ache of leaving home while still sitting in it.
For Osioh’s If you stay, Na you know, (an acrylic and charcoal on canvas) is an art piece that pricks it’s viewers of the current situation of the country and how unsafe it has been for the common man to strive and feed his family. Hence, this painting poses the quest of how sure are you that your tomorrow is guaranteed to fulfill your dreams? Why not look for a safe net elsewhere for your family.
In like manner, Osioh’s If You No Go,You No Go Know, (acrylic and charcoal on canvas) is a piece of art that gives its viewers an imaginative license within time and space to take a pause for a second and muse on the current happenings in the country. Hence, if you no go, you no go know create in its viewers mind a stance of trying to look for a better place to live in. You might just remain where you are simply because you failed to try.
