Wunika Mukan Gallery’s First Exhibition After Name Change

With over three years of operations as one of the top galleries exhibiting artists of African descent in Nigeria, Pacers Gallery announced their rebranding and name change to Wunika Mukan – the name of the director and curator – in March 2023. This rebranding effort also led to the gallery’s change of logo. 

Based in Lagos, Nigeria, Wunika Mukan Gallery champions bright emerging talent in contemporary art. Their mission to amplify new voices and create opportunities for emerging and professional artists to exhibit and engage critically in global discourse remains constant. ‘Love Your Family’ is the gallery’s first exhibition after rebranding.

The ‘Love Your Family’ exhibition will feature work by twelve contemporary artists who share their personal interpretations of love and family. The exhibiting artists are Alanna Fields (United States), Agemo Francis (Nigeria), Adolphus Washington (United States), Dandelion Eghosa (Nigeria), Charlotte Yonga (Cameroon/France), Julio Rizhi (Zimbabwe), Kamila Soares (Brazil), Lebogang Mogul Mabusela (South Africa), Millie Toyin Olateju (United Kingdom/ Nigeria), Nzube Ozoemena (Nigeria), Sophia Chioma (Nigeria), and Unu Mamu (Nigeria).

This exhibition attempts to untangle the mysteries of the family while simultaneously casting a light on the societal notions of love. The collected works of the twelve artists will project the universal pleasures and the specific pains of family. The exhibition will showcase the artists’ attempt to answer questions like: “What does a family entail?” and “What happens when we willingly embrace our dependency on those who can harm us, as well as they can nourish us?” Who we love ultimately becomes an extension of who and what we are.  Each artist has their own personal concept of family. Their definitions of the family go beyond the traditional structure.

The press release for the ‘Love Your Family’ exhibition reads: 

“Too often we are quick to airbrush love, clinging to poetic and idealistic notions of family. If we use the convention as a measure, we can define family as society’s apex of love and commitment. Hegel, the German philosophical idealist, tells us that love is the key component of a family. African proverb reinforces this belief, teaching us that a family is like a tree with multiple branches, that may at times bend but resilient enough that it will never break. In all of these, we are taught to aspire to this sort of love. One that Hegel defines as us exchanging our self-sufficiency for dependence.”

The exhibition will open on Saturday, May 6, 2023, and it will close on May 22, 2023.