‘First Space’ is my art-writing project on Nigerian art historian, Charles Okereke and his living art installation, The Alexander Academy of Arts, Design and Alternative Methods. I produced the 2,200-plus-word essay as a part of my writing fellowship with the African Artists’ Foundation’s exchange program, ”Written by us, Not about us.”

About the Fellowship: "Written by us, Not about us” is a virtual writers’ exchange program set up by the African Artists’ Foundation in collaboration with the Northern Irish Art Network (NIAN). The fellowship ran between September 2022 and March 2023 and addressed the lack of critical discourse surrounding the arts, especially the visual arts, in Northern Ireland and Nigeria. As part of the program:

• Mentees engaged in weekly mentorship calls and review session with art writers, journalists and curators including Azu Nwagbogu.
• Mentees received a €1000 commission to execute a writing project of their choice and contribute a final written piece to a publication launched at the Ulster Museum in March 2025.

About My Writing Project

My writing project considered the connection between artists’ living spaces and the artworks they produce. With it, I looked into the childhood homes (and current apartments) of two Nigerian artists—-Charles Okereke and Aghogho Otega—- broaching the idea that the heritage & nature-styled planning of their homes manifest in the themes of nature worship, spirituality and sustainability in their artworks.

My On-Field Research Experience and Results

• I spent 10 days on-site at Charles Okereke’s home and installation in Povita, Badagry.
• I conducted three separate semi-structured interviews with the artist and recorded over 4 hours worth of conversations (in audio and video format) which I utilized for the final writing project and archived for future projects.
• I wrote and submitted a final manuscript of 2,272 words.

Read the first draft of my essay below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_va6dWxd3Zj0BjhbD_gmiKMyDtW1oCKg/view

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