By Henry Akubuiro
The recent 2024 Sogal Art Auction, themed Roots, showcased indigenous contents with aplomb. The event, which focused on African heritage and cultural roots, bridged tradition and modernity. The In-Person Preview took off on Thursday, November 7, 12:00 a.m, and ended on Saturday, November 9, 6:00 p.m, at the Signature Beyond Art Gallery, 107, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Concurrently, the physical preview held alongside the online streaming of the lots, which provided attendees the opportunity to explore each piece’s narrative prior to the auction. The well attended auction took place online on Sunday, November 10, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., allowing attendees to participate in real-time bidding.
The auction was also streamed publicly on YouTube, as collectors were invited to join via Google Meet to actively bid on items. The Sogal 2024 auction presented a unique opportunity to acquire remarkable works celebrating African cultural narratives. Among the lots auctioned were Iyoba (bronze, H 90 x W 60 cm, dated 2021) by Kelly Omodamwen; Untitled (wood, H 85 x W 20 cm, dated 1971), Ben Osawe; Ikenga Mask (Wood & Alluminum, H76 x W25 x D25 cm, and dated 2017) by Okezie Okafor; and King (Bronze, H 82 x W 33 x D20 cm, dated 2024) by Osarhiemen Blessing Nosahkare.
“The 2024 Sogal Auction titled Roots is a celebration of African art and heritage. Each piece tells a unique story, and every bid supports a legacy. We look forward to sharing this memorable event with you,” said the organisers in a statement that the auction “offers exclusive opportunities to acquire pieces that honour African identity and cultural legacies.”
Ben Osawe (1931-2017) was a renowned artist whose early exposure to art came from his father, a wood carver serving the royal court of the Benin Kingdom. This foundation sparked a lifelong passion for creativity, eventually leading him to pursue formal education in the UK.
Okezie Okafor is a seasoned sculptor and artist with many years of experience and practice. He studied art at the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, then proceeded to the University of Benin, Benin City.
In Eastern Nigeria, Ikenga symbolises a deity or emblem of authority. It represents the power bestowed upon a titled individual or the head of a family to execute judgment. Ikenga is typically characterised by the horns of a strong animal worn as a cap on the head and aaccompanied by a staff of authority, which often includes a knife symbolising judgment. However, the Ikenga mask presents the human face in a stylised form, with the horn serving as a decorative element. This symbol is represented in various mediums, including wood, metal, modelling, and bronze.
Kelly Omodamwen began his sculpting journey as a kid in the studio of his grandfather’s who was a renowned traditional Benin bronze-caster. He was educated at the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi. He began producing his sculptures in bronze and, in 2017, discovered spark plugs as a medium in sculpture, which has gained him audience after a documentary with BBC Pidgin in 2020.