By Osa Mbonu-Amadi
When Dotun Popoola’s eighth solo exhibition, “Reclaimed Beauty: A Dialogue Between Continents,” opened on June 12, 2026, at The Village by Tikera in Abuja, it arrived not merely as an art show but as a manifesto of transformation.
The exhibition presents 25 original sculptures and installations within 40 groups of organic-shaped, building-block-like artworks arranged together, all forged from discarded metal and repurposed industrial waste. This is not recycling as we know it; it is resurrection, because it gives dead scraps better values, elevating departed materials into meaning and cultural significance.
The Venue
The venue itself mirrors Popoola’s artistic philosophy. The 32-hectare creative campus of The Village was constructed largely from reclaimed airplanes, shipping containers, train components, and salvaged materials.
