Echoes of power: Kelechi Nwaneri
Current exhibition
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Detail: Kelechi Nwaneri, The cession of Lagos, 2024, Acrylic paint, charcoal sticks and pencil, 170 × 220 cm -
Primo Marella Gallery Lugano is pleased to present Echoes of Power, the first solo exhibition in Switzerland by Nigerian artist Kelechi Nwaneri, taking place on Thursday, December 11th at 6 pm.Nigerian artist Kelechi Nwaneri situates his iconic figures in the past to narrate events that have helped shape the current geopolitical landscape of his home country, Nigeria. The episodes depicted in many of these scenes carry a force that resonates through time, continuing to influence reality long after they occurred. Driven by an urgency to document history—especially in a rapidly changing world where the past is obscured, truth denied, and where each day we are left with only fragments of the traces that brought us here as a people—Nwaneri seeks not only to introduce international audiences to aspects of Nigerian history, but also to remind the Nigerian public (particularly as the atmosphere of the upcoming elections clouds the horizon) of the sacrifices and events that gave birth to the nation and to the democracy we now enjoy: the tensions and displacements of war, our strength in unity, and the ways in which we have consistently resisted the true oppressor.
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Nwaneri describes Echoes of Power as a concise, chronological attempt to guide viewers through history using painting. The journey begins with the arrival of the first colonial interests on the shores of Lagos—today the country’s largest commercial city and gateway to the South—and moves through episodes of collective resistance to oppressive policies, culminating in the events that led to the birth of Nigerian democracy. These works draw upon available documents and testimonies from various witnesses who recounted these events.
Rather than recounting political history, Nwaneri explores the idea of a collective identity, charged with tensions and possibilities.
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Kelechi Nwaneri, Birth of a nation, 2025, Acrylic paint and charcoal pencil on canvas, 120 × 120 cm
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about the artist
Kelechi Charles Nwaneri, born in 1994, Lagos, is a self-taught, mixed-media artist. Living and working in Lagos state, Nigeria. Kelechi Nwaneri obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Extension from the University of Nigeria in 2015.Nwaneri focuses on issues surrounding mental health, psychology, and social values. Inspired by the events occurring in his environment, he creates art with surrealistic imagery that is often allegorical and rooted in real experiences. His idiosyncratic paintings blend traditional West African iconography with elements of Western art history, resulting in fantastical worlds full of hybrid creatures and vivid patterns. A major characteristic of his style is the use of Indigenous African symbols—primarily Adinkra, Uli, and Nsibidi—alongside mystical, metaphysical, and allegorical imagery. His compositions feature dreamlike scenarios that reflect contemporary Nigerian life, where humans and animals often merge and symbols frequently cover the figures’ skin.Nwaneri has exhibited in London, Lagos, Dubai, Berlin, and New York. His works are part of notable collections, including the Arthur Lewis Collection, the Africa First Collection, and the Embassy of Spain in Abuja, Nigeria. -
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Installation Shots
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Works
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Kelechi nwaneri
echoes of power
EXHIBITION DATES:
11 DECEMBER, 2025 - 15 JANUARY, 2026
PRIMO MARELLA GALLERY
Via LUCCHINI 10, 6900, LUGANO
