onye isi okanga: Proud Beings
A solo exhibition by REWA
In onye isi okanga: Proud Beings, REWA presents a bold and emotive body of work that honours the dignity, beauty, and complexity of African identity across generations. Inspired by the Igbo phrase “onye isi okanga”, often used to describe someone who walks with pride and fearlessness, this collection explores the quiet strength and fierce spirit that live within everyday people.
Spanning the stages of life, from the innocence of childhood and the boldness of youth, through the confidence of adulthood to the wisdom and stillness of old age, these portraits form a compelling visual conversation across generations. Each subject is named in Igbo, an intentional act that not only grounds them within a specific cultural and linguistic identity but also affirms their individuality and ancestral belonging. These names are not mere titles - they are declarations, carrying meanings that speak to character, destiny, and heritage.
The figures themselves are crafted in REWA's customary mosaic-like compositions that echo the sacred geometry of stained glass and the storytelling traditions of uli body art. Rendered in radiant hues - cobalt, crimson, emerald, gold - and punctuated with intricate patterns and shimmering highlights, each portrait radiates with energy and intention. The gaze of each subject is deliberate, challenging the viewer to look beyond the surface and into the soul. They are captured in moments of quiet grace and bold assertion: sipping tea in morning light, reading sacred texts, adjusting sunglasses in the sun, or simply meeting your gaze without apology or explanation.
These portraits speak not only of personal identity but also of collective experience. They are layered with the echoes of broader histories: of migration and memory, joy and struggle, cultural pride and intergenerational resilience. Together, they form a tapestry of African presence; unafraid, unfiltered, and unmistakably proud.
