“One of the artists is actually from the bronze-casting guild,” explained Kenyan curator, Renée Mboya, referring to a hereditary organisation located on the historical Igun Street in Benin City, known as the Guild of Benin Bronze and Brass Casters, or Ìgùn Ẹ́rọ̀nwwọ̀n. “It was interesting for him to consider whether or not he wanted to display Benin bronze in a traditional [manner], though his practice is non-traditional.”
Photo: Courtesy of MOWAA
When creating the different fractions of Black Muse, Ehikhamenor noted that he needed to think carefully about its relationship to Benin City. “It’s a nation in itself, and they have their own way of doing things. People have to be able to recognise, acknowledge, and respect that,” he said. “While we are fast-forwarding and racing to what we call modernity, how many people have actually slowed down to say, how did [Benin] maintain a kingdom that survived a lot of onslaught culturally?”
Last year, Ehikhamenor also opened Black Muse Residency, an eleven-room artists’ retreat, all an extension of his non-profit Angels and Muse, founded in 2018 to empower the creative talents of Africa. “I call it an artist residency, but it’s actually more of a creative residency for journalists, sculptors, architects, researchers – any sector that has to do with something creative is more than welcome,” he added.