Visual Incantations

Object Details

Chike C. Aniakor, born 1939, Nigeria

Label Text

Artist, art historian, and teacher. As a member of the faculty at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Chike Aniakor was a founding proponent of an artistic movement known as either the Nsukka school or the Ulists. Aniakor incorporates into his work the Igbo graphic system known as uli, which was originally designed by women for body arts and murals. Aniakor’s mother was an uli artist, and her influence can be seen in the lyrical lines, streamlined forms, and sense of movement in Visual Incantations. This artwork also captures the artist’s interest in local heritage as subject matter—features that can also be found in the artwork of Nsukka students Tayo Adenaike and Ugochukwu-Smooth Nzewi.

Exhibition History

Visionary: Viewpoints on Africa's Arts, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 4, 2017-ongoing, (deinstalled June 5, 2019)

Poetics of Line: Seven Artists of the Nsukka Group, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 22, 1997-April 26, 1998

Published References

Ottenberg, Simon. 1997. New Traditions from Nigeria: Seven Artists of the Nsukka Group. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Press, p. 98, no. 71.

Content Statement

As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.

Image Requests

High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by the Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program

1996

Object number

96-18-1

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Copyright

© 1996 Chike C. Aniakor

Type

Painting

Medium

Ink on paper

Dimensions

H x W: 56.5 x 38.5 cm (22 1/4 x 15 3/16 in.)

Geography

Nigeria

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National Museum of African Art Collection

National Museum of African Art

Record ID

nmafa_96-18-1

Metadata Usage (text)

Not determined

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys72f219759-107e-42ff-a3e2-ee58d5775fa2