By Nneka Obiora
Nigeria’s art industry is witnessing bold new experimentation as the creative collective behind The City Beneath launches initiatives designed to reshape cultural engagement through immersive exhibitions that blend performance, digital innovation, and indigenous narratives.
Showcased at the National Museum of Unity, the project aims to redefine how audiences interact with art and heritage by moving beyond conventional exhibition formats. Through a fusion of sculpture, painting, sound, theatre, and augmented reality, organisers hope to transform museums and public spaces into dynamic environments where visitors become active participants in storytelling.
Reimagining Museums and Cultural Spaces
Organisers explained that the initiative seeks to challenge long-standing perceptions of museums as static, quiet spaces disconnected from the communities and histories they represent.
At its core is The City Beneath, a multimodal installation inspired by the West African night market, a cultural hub where trade, ritual, memory, and spirituality intersect. The exhibition transforms the museum courtyard into a layered environment of handcrafted structures, shrines, live performance, and digital experiences.
Technology Meets Tradition
The project underscores the growing role of technology in Nigeria’s contemporary art scene. Artists employ augmented reality and digital storytelling tools to reinterpret indigenous narratives for modern audiences.
- Neec Nonso explores reincarnation and spiritual existence through hidden AR installations embedded in reflective enamel bowls.
- Bolaji Mofeyiseke examines how digital tools can revive forgotten cultural memory within museum artefacts.
- Dikachi Ugwu contributes painted jute bags retelling folktales of transformation between human, animal, and spiritual worlds, linking traditional storytelling with everyday market life.
A Living Archive
The initiative also incorporates live theatrical performance, with theatre artists from the University of Ibadan transforming the exhibition into what organisers describe as a “living archive.”
Industry observers note that projects like The City Beneath reflect a broader shift in Nigeria’s creative sector toward experiential and technology-driven practices, engaging younger audiences while preserving indigenous narratives in contemporary forms.
Building Nigeria’s Art Ecosystem
Organisers expressed optimism that such initiatives could contribute to the long-term development of Nigeria’s art ecosystem by encouraging collaboration among artists, technologists, performers, and cultural institutions.
“Africa is changing fast, and culture is evolving in real time. If brands and institutions want to remain relevant, they must pay closer attention to what people are becoming, not just who they used to be,” one organiser said.