MOWAA to open with exhibition featuring Tunji Adeniyi-Jones and Artist Council including Michael Armitage and Ibrahim Mahama

The Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) has announced its official public opening in Benin City, Nigeria. The MOWAA Institute is the museum's first campus building, opening on 11 November 2025 with the group exhibition, 'Nigeria Imaginary', which will feature work by Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, among others.

The announcement marks a significant moment in the evolution of cultural institutions throughout the African continent. To celebrate the occasion, MOWAA has unveiled its inaugural Artist Council. The council is formed of leading contemporary African and diasporic artists committed to shaping the future of artistic expression and institutional engagement across Africa and beyond.

Council members include Michael Armitage and Ibrahim Mahama, alongside Victor Ehikhamenor, Nengi Omuku, Dr Odun Orimolade, Kaloki Nyamai and Yinka Shonibare.

Michael Armitage has said: 'I am delighted to be part of the MOWAA Artist Council as an artist and representative of Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI). The impact of art institutions in Africa will depend upon our ability to work with other organisations across the continent. With this in mind, I look forward to developing the relationship between NCAI and MOWAA as we grow our community between Kenya and Nigeria and broaden the reach of art on the continent.'