As part of Lagos, Peckham, Repeat: Pilgrimage to the Lakes, artist Chiizii was on a residency in Lagos at Guest Art Space (G.A.S). On her return to London, she was resident in the studio space at the South London Gallery to continue the work she began in Lagos.
For the exhibition, she created new work as part of an ongoing research project titled Nni Bu Ogwu, 2018 – present, which means ‘Food is Medicine’
in Igbo. It explores the pre- and post-colonial Igbo diet. The Igbo people are an ethnic group in Nigeria primarily based in the southeast of the country. The research room concept draws on her years of research into elements key to Igbo identity.
During the residency she was particularly inspired by the impact of Igbo people on Lagos culture where the majority of the population is of Yoruba ethnicity.
Chiizii also produced a limited edition artwork, Untitled Collage 5, to coincide with the exhibition. Chiizii’s print layers images taken in the UK and in Nigeria. The background is a photograph taken by the artist in London of plantain and melons, neither of which are native to the UK but both are grown in Nigeria. For Chiizii, this speaks to the efforts and needs of the diaspora to consume their cultural foods. Layered over this is an image she shot of her aunt’s former home in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. The home holds many core experiences and memories with Igbo and Nigerian food for the artist.
Residency supported by Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.), Lagos, Nigeria.
ABOUT CHIIZII
Chiizii is an interdisciplinary artist, designer and researcher. Born in London, raised in New York and Igbo. Working heavily with but not limited to painting, collage and textile design. Her work centers the specificities of Igbo, Nigerian and African experiences and histories.
Her current research aims to establish the significance of art in the communication and maintenance of Igbo food culture. As well a the use of making art as a learning method and presenting art as a teaching method. Recent shows include RA Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy 2021, Collective Processes Gucci Circolo 2021, Blacklisted: An Indefinite
Revolution, Christies 2020.
ABOUT LAGOS, PECKHAM, REPEAT: PILGRIMAGE TO THE LAKES
Known as ‘Little Lagos’, Peckham is home to one of the largest Nigerian diaspora communities in the UK. Lagos, Peckham, Repeat: Pilgrimage to the Lakes was a major group exhibition that opened in July 2023, looking at the connections between Lagos in Nigeria and Peckham in south east London.
The exhibition highlights the relationships, culture, shared history, communities and art that link the two places. Themes explored include transnational exchange, a sense of place and the contemporary metropolis.
The exhibition showcases works by thirteen Nigerian and British-Nigerian artists, bringing together sculpture, photography, sound and film.
Lagos, Peckham, Repeat: Pilgrimage to the Lakes, South London Gallery, 2023. Photo: Andy Stagg.
