Echoes of Renaissance

Chief Dr Nike Davies-Okundaye, fondly known as Mama Nike, is one of Africa’s most celebrated artists, cultural ambassadors, and advocates for preserving indigenous knowledge through art. A fifth-generation Adire textile master and Founder of Nike Art Gallery, Africa’s largest private art gallery, she has spent more than five decades transforming traditional Yoruba textile practices into a globally recognised artistic language.

Her works are held in major international collections, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York; the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; and numerous other institutions across Europe and North America. Beyond her artistic achievements, she has empowered thousands of women and young people through free arts education and vocational training, demonstrating the transformative power of creativity in cultural preservation and social development.

In recognition of her extraordinary humanitarian work in Italy, where she trained thousands of trafficked Nigerian women in traditional textile arts, she was awarded the prestigious Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity by the President of the Italian Republic.

Through ARTNOVATION: Echoes of Renaissance in the Hues of Africa, Chief Dr Nike Davies-Okundaye brings a lifetime of artistic excellence, cultural stewardship, and international dialogue, reminding us that heritage is not merely preserved—it is continually renewed through creativity.

Chief Tola Wewe is one of Africa’s foremost contemporary artists and a pioneering figure in the evolution of modern African visual language. For more than four decades, his work has explored the rich intersections of Yoruba philosophy, mythology, spirituality, and contemporary abstraction, establishing him as one of the leading voices in African modernism.

A graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of Ibadan, Wewe was among the pioneering contributors to the influential Ona Movement, which redefined contemporary Nigerian art through indigenous symbolism, decorative systems, and philosophical thought. His works have been exhibited internationally and are represented in important public and private collections across Africa, Europe, North America, and the Middle East.

Among his recent landmark projects is The Legacy of Wole Soyinka in the Eyes of Michelangelo, conceived and painted in Florence, Italy. The series creates a compelling dialogue between the intellectual legacy of Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka and the enduring spirit of the Italian Renaissance, offering a new visual vocabulary that bridges African philosophy and European artistic heritage.

At ARTNOVATION: Echoes of Renaissance in the Hues of Africa, Chief Tola Wewe’s works embody the exhibition’s central vision: that creativity remains one of humanity’s most enduring bridges between memory, imagination, cultures, and generations.

Princess Marinay is a Nigerian visual artist whose practice explores the intersections of heritage, sustainability, identity, and contemporary African storytelling. Working across painting, textiles, and mixed media, she represents a new generation of creatives committed to using art as a vehicle for cultural preservation, environmental awareness, and social transformation.

Currently studying at the Milano Painting Academy (MPA) in Italy, Princess has developed a distinctive artistic voice that bridges indigenous African knowledge and contemporary global perspectives.

Mentored by Chief Dr Nike Davies-Okundaye and Chief Tola Wewe, her work reflects a deep engagement with Yoruba symbolism, cultural memory, and environmental stewardship while embracing new forms of creative expression.

Her recent projects include ARTNOVATION: Art for Climate Change and The Rock That Remembers, unveiled during Milan Design Week 2026, where she explored memory, architecture, resilience, and humanity’s relationship with place.

As part of ARTNOVATION: Echoes of Renaissance in the Hues of Africa, Princess represents the next generation of African creative voices. Her artistic practice demonstrates how contemporary creativity can honour ancestral wisdom while shaping new conversations across art, fashion, sustainability, and the Creative Economy.