At QGallery, Voices of Eya Evokes a Cultural Reawakening
Yinka Olatunbosun
Art, at its most profound, does not merely occupy a room waiting to be observed; it demands an encounter. It serves as a conduit through which muted histories are heard, emotions are revealed, and hidden truths emerge. On 6 June, Qgallery in Apapa opened its doors to The Voices of Eya, an all-female exhibition that presents a breathtaking collection of works exploring the depths of identity, ancestral memory and the unbreakable threads of human connection.
The title itself—Eya—carries multiple layers of meaning. Drawn from the Urhobo language, it evokes notions of “mother”, “life”, and even a profound exclamation of grief or awakening. Within the exhibition, Eya is treated not as a static subject but as a living, breathing force. It becomes the foundational pulse from which each artist draws inspiration, weaving personal narratives and collective histories into a tapestry that is at once intimate and universal.
At the heart of The Voices of Eya lies a fascinating paradox: how does one give visual form to a voice? The exhibiting artists—Adedoyin Adelani, Ogoluwa Obaseemo, Titilayo Abdulrazak, Cynthia Dafinone, Idemudia Mercy, Caroline Useh, Juliet Ezenwa Pearce, Adiza Nzekwe, Korede Aremo, Khadijah Adeboye, Faith Michael, Oke Gabriel, Faalilat Ibrahim and Klaranze—offer a compelling collective response.
