Yenwa Gallery has cemented itself as one of the leading galleries in Lagos, but, according to founder Ugonna Ibe Ejiogu, this happened almost by accident. Ibe Ejiogu is a Nigerian-American who grew up in London and moved to Nigeria in 2014 to pursue a career in curation, public relations and fashion. As of 2021, she is the head of public relations at art center Terra Kulture, the founder of clothing brand Cinnamon, and the head of the Association of Professional Artists of Nigeria.
Ibe Ejiogu tells us that in an ideal world art newsshe would join an agency instead of starting Yenwa. But at the time, few institutions or galleries were able to recruit senior curatorial talent. Thus, Yenwa was born.
The gallery’s program is deliberately broad but curatorially determined. While acknowledging that Nigeria remains a market for painters, galleries have always made room for mediums that are difficult to commercialize: photography, collage, works on paper, ceramics and sculpture. Its community includes young, curious and lesser-known collectors, which gives Yenwa the freedom to introduce overlooked or undiscovered artists.
Ugona noted that the Nigerian arts scene does have the potential to set its own agenda. “Sometimes you sit there and see an artist who’s taking off abroad and think, ‘Oh… well,’ we can do better here,” she said. “We shouldn’t be waiting for outside sources to determine who are the artists worth paying attention to. We should be better off saying, ‘These are the artists we think are worthy of your attention and investment.'”
She added that international recognition is welcome, but accolades often come first from abroad before gathering at home. Our goal is not to reject the global stage but to rebalance it—to build local authority, local confidence, and a clearer pipeline from Nigerian galleries to sustainable careers.
