Lagos is set to host a compelling artistic dialogue on consumption, waste, and sustainability with the second edition of the group exhibition, Recycling Matters. Following a successful debut, the show returns on February 7, organized by Alexis Galleries, to deepen the conversation on material transformation within Nigeria's socio-economic context.
Art as Social Intervention on Waste and Value
The exhibition, titled Recycling Matters II, acts as a direct response to Nigeria's patterns of excessive consumption and rapid disposal, shaped by its import-dependent economy. By utilizing discarded rubber, scrap metal, fabric remnants, and binding wires, the featured artists challenge conventional ideas of value and utility. They reposition waste as a site of memory, resilience, and creative renewal.
Founder of Alexis Galleries, Patty Chidiac Mastrogianni, explained the core mission in her curatorial statement. She said the artists transform everyday waste into expressive forms through sculpture, assemblage, and installation. This process not only addresses environmental pollution but also invites viewers to reconsider waste as a vital resource.
"Recycling Matters II motivates viewers in a society paralysed by waste to take proactive efforts towards their environment," Mastrogianni stated.
Meet the Four Artists Driving the Conversation
The exhibition features new works by four residency artists who employ innovative, interdisciplinary approaches to reclamation.
Konboye Ebipade Eugene is a visionary artist known for finding tales of resilience in discarded footwear. A graduate of Auchi Polytechnic with a distinction in painting, his meticulous stitching techniques breathe new life into old shoes. His work, featured by Reuters and BBC, symbolizes the connection between old and new, turning waste into powerful testaments of human experience.
Seye Morakinyo, a mixed-media artist trained at Auchi Polytechnic, experiments primarily with discarded fabrics and paper. His process of cutting, layering, and moulding aims to upcycle materials, elevating their environmental potential and achieving textured, unconventional artworks.
Ibrahim Afegbua, a professional sculptor and member of the Society of Nigerian Artists, draws inspiration from cultural themes and traditional hairstyles. He uses binding wires, rolled in circular or diagonal flows, to delineate his subjects. His royal Benin background influences works that emphasize the dexterity and beauty of hairstyles, viewing them as cultural emblems.
Aliya Diseotu Victor, a sculptor from Delta State, works primarily with sheet metal. The best-graduating HND student in sculpture from Auchi Polytechnic, his art is inspired by human and animal anatomy and his Ijaw cultural heritage. Based in Ibadan, his work focuses on beauty, eco-friendliness, and historical preservation.
Redefining Utility and Fostering a Sustainable Culture
Curator Uche Obasi describes the exhibition as a social intervention. "It recontextualizes waste as a re-inventive material," he said, offering critical commentary on pollution while nurturing a culture of sustainability in Nigeria.
Obasi emphasized that through accumulation, binding, layering, and welding, industrial and domestic waste is transformed into expressive visual narratives. The artistic practices on display blur the lines between sculpture, assemblage, and installation, revealing the poetic forms hidden in everyday materials.
Recycling Matters II ultimately engages viewers with the entire artistic process of reclamation. It reveals how found objects can be reconnected to notions of utility, grace, and deeper meaning, advocating for responsible material culture and greater environmental awareness across the nation.
