NKATA: Art and Processes

Part Two of a two-part conversation.

Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s portrait The Obamas: Springing Forth marks another chapter in an illustrious career shaped by Nigerian life, family histories and movement between cultures.

Continuing her conversation with Emeka Okereke, she opens a window onto the decisions, uncertainties and encounters within her practice. From the Obama portrait to Lagos and Igbo proverbs, their exchange follows the relationships and inherited knowledge that sustain her work, including the foundations laid by her mother and father.

For artists, students, researchers and curious listeners, this concluding part offers insight into how lived experience becomes artistic language—and how a practice continues to grow.

Begin with Part One

In this conversation

- The artistic demands of a major portrait commission
- Uncertainty, attention and the decisions within a painting
- Images, specificity and the experience of recognition
- Lagos, Invisible Borders and the importance of encounter
- Family, language and knowledge across generations

Chapters

00:00:00 Painting Through uncertainty
00:17:43 Inside the Obama Portrait
00:32:26 Making the Images Yours
00:43:48 A Painting as Journey
00:51:09 Returning to Lagos
01:03:53 Invisible Borders
01:15:17 The Wisdom of Ilu

About the guest

Njideka Akunyili Crosby is a Nigerian-born artist based in Los Angeles. Working across painting, drawing, collage and photographic transfer, she brings family histories, everyday spaces and Nigerian popular culture into compositions that hold multiple places and experiences together.

Explore further

- NKATA Podcast
- Njideka Akunyili Crosby — artist profile and work
- The Obamas: Springing Forth — Obama Foundation
- Invisible Borders — The Trans-African Project

Listen to more conversations from Art & Processes at NKATA Podcast.

Portrait of Njideka Akunyili Crosby by Shaughn and John

Part One of a two-part conversation.

Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s illustrious career has brought Nigerian life and family histories into some of contemporary art’s most significant spaces. A 2017 MacArthur Fellow, she recently created The Obamas: Springing Forth for the Obama Presidential Center.

In conversation with Emeka Okereke, she reflects on the foundations laid by her mother and father, growing up in Nigeria, and the crossings and choices that shaped her life in art. Questions of belonging, ambition and trusting an inner compass emerge through personal recollection.

For artists, students, researchers and anyone curious about the life behind the work, this opening part offers a closer encounter with the experiences and thinking that nourish her practice.

In this conversation

- The foundations of a celebrated artistic practice
- Family, upbringing and the worlds that shape an artist
- Nigeria, migration and the possibilities of a life in art
- Cultural belonging and defining success on one’s own terms
- Influence, intuition and the inner compass of making

Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction of Njideka
00:03:59 Enugu, Lagos, Home
00:25:31 Making From Little
00:31:37 Dora’s Quiet Lessons
00:40:39 Surviving the Attack
00:50:28 Moving to America
01:02:39 Becoming an Artist
01:13:34 A New Nigerian Culture
01:23:26 Finding a Visual Language
01:33:35 Trusting the Inner Compass
01:47:23 Painting Through Uncertainty

About the guest

Njideka Akunyili Crosby is a Nigerian-born artist based in Los Angeles. Working across painting, drawing, collage and photographic transfer, she brings family histories, everyday spaces and Nigerian popular culture into compositions that hold multiple places and experiences together.

Listen to Part Two

Explore further

- NKATA Podcast
- Njideka Akunyili Crosby — artist profile and work
- The Obamas: Springing Forth — Obama Foundation

Listen to more conversations from Art & Processes at NKATA Podcast.

Portrait of Njideka Akunyili Crosby by Shaughn and John

In this episode of Art and Processes, Emeka Okereke sits down with Cameroonian photographer Angèle Etoundi Essamba — a defining voice in contemporary African photography whose four-decade career has centered the presence, dignity, and strength of the Black female body.

Born in Douala in 1962, Angèle left Cameroon at nine years old for medical treatment in France — a rupture that shaped a lifelong meditation on displacement, belonging, and "home."

The conversation moves from that culture shock, to the moment in 1980s Amsterdam when she realized the Black community around her was visually absent — and decided to put the Black woman at the center of her frame, on her own terms.

They trace her major bodies of work: Série Noire, Afro Cosmos, and the Renaissance series (including The Girl with the Amber Earring), and talk about photography in the age of social media and AI, motherhood and darkroom discipline, and what freedom and dignity look like when "progress" means moving away from stagnation rather than climbing a ladder.

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In this episode of Art and Processes, host Emeka Okereke sits down with renowned Cuban contemporary artist Alexandre Arrechea. Born in Trinidad de Cuba—a UNESCO World Heritage Site steeped in colonial history—Arrechea’s work explores themes of power, surveillance, architecture, and public engagement. From his early days painting trucks for his uncle to co-founding the influential collective Los Carpinteros, and later forging a distinguished solo career, Arrechea’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of art.

The conversation spans his upbringing in Cuba, the robust educational system that shaped his worldview, and how his multidisciplinary practice—encompassing sculpture, installation, video, painting, and performance—continually challenges conventional notions of form and function. Arrechea also shares insights into collaborations with institutions such as the Birmingham Royal Ballet, and discusses monumental public works like No Limits on Park Avenue, New York, and the Hexagon Garden created for Balmain. He further reflects on earlier works such as White Corner (2006) and The Garden of Mistrust (2006), unpacking how they exemplify his approach to context-specific art-making.

Employing the emotive lure of anecdotes, Arrechea takes us down memory lane, weaving an intertwining arc of a life of creative explorations that began as early as the age of 11 and continues to this day—a life that has come to mean, for him, a learning curve that never stops, driven by an ever-burning urge to expand language and correlate contexts across places and people. In one of his most striking interventions, he asked: “How can we turn straight lines into curved lines?” This question signals the subtle yet consistent quality of malleability that undergirds much of his artistic proposals. It is his way of bringing sensitivity, play, and humanness into the often heavy-handed world of sharp edges, fixed forms, and solid surfaces—hallmarks of structural integrity.

Thus, listeners are invited into the nuanced thinking behind his practice—how it bridges personal and collective narratives, navigates sociopolitical tension, and partakes in the synthesis of the “I” and the “we,” the subjective and the collective—while positioning art as a tool for healing, dialogue, connection, and meaning-making. 

Key Topics Discussed:

1. Early Influences: Growing up in Trinidad de Cuba, the impact of colonial architecture, and the familial environment that nurtured his artistic curiosity.
2. Artistic Education: The rigorous Cuban art school system, mentorship under René Francisco, and the formative years of his collective, Los Carpinteros.
3. Public Art & Architecture: The philosophies underpinning works like No Limits (Park Avenue) and Orange Functional (a basketball hoop tree), which invite public interaction and subvert structural hegemony.
4. Collaborations: Designing sets for Black Sabbath: The Ballet and fusing rock culture with classical dance.
5. Decolonizing Practice: How Arrechea’s work reconciles contradiction, integrates the “I” and the “we,” and fosters cross-cultural dialogue.
6. Art as Healing: The role of art in restoring a

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Hi, amazing listeners! Emeka Okereke here. I am the founder and host of this show. If you’ve enjoyed the stories, insights, and creativity we bring to this podcast series, I invite you to join my Patreon community at patreon.com/EmekaOkereke. 🎉

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In this episode of Nkata Podcast: Art & Processes, host Emeka Okereke engages in a compelling conversation with Nigerian painter, designer, and multimedia artist Ibe Ananaba. A lifelong explorer of visual storytelling, Ananaba’s journey is one of relentless curiosity—one that traverses the bustling city of Aba, where he grew up, the creative crucible of Lagos, and his current practice in Canada.

At the heart of this discussion lies a fundamental question: What do we owe the world as creatives?

Ananaba’s artistic practice is deeply interdisciplinary, blending painting, fashion illustration, calligraphy, and design to create a visual language that is both dynamic and socially engaged. Having spent 15 years as an art director in advertising before transitioning fully into studio practice, his work bridges the commercial and fine art worlds, exploring contemporary sociocultural narratives with an acute sensitivity to movement, rhythm, and texture. His paintings—often characterized by fluid lines and layered storytelling—reflect themes of identity, urban culture, and the evolving human experience across physical and virtual spaces.

Drawing from formative childhood experiences—where sketching on any available surface became both an obsession and a path toward mastery—he reflects on how artistic expression has shaped his sense of identity, purpose, and open-minded approach to life. His years in Lagos’ dynamic creative ecosystem, particularly within the legendary Dolphin Studios, further expanded his understanding of the intersections between art, design, photography, and visual culture.

Through the lens of his practice, Ananaba unpacks the anatomy of creativity—its process-driven nature, the delicate balance between discipline and spontaneity, and the profound role of artistic intuition. In discussing the shifting landscape of visual culture, he highlights the ways in which art serves as a vessel for personal growth, storytelling, and the articulation of selfhood.

Key Themes:

• Creativity as a Responsibility – The role of artists in shaping narratives and giving back to humanity.

• The Power of Place – How Aba, Lagos, and Canada have each informed Ananaba’s artistic practice.

• The Anatomy of Creativity – Unpacking process, play, and the search for essence.

• Between Fine Art & Advertising – Navigating multiple creative worlds while staying true to artistic purpose.

• Movement & Stillness – What remains constant in an artist’s work when they move across geographies?

• Art as a Vehicle for Memory – The artist’s role in preserving, reinterpreting, and questioning history.

Throughout the conversation, Ananaba offers invaluable reflections on the creative process—both as a personal journey and a communal act of meaning-making. He underscores the idea that creativity is not merely a personal pursuit but a social responsibility—an offering that extends beyond the self.

This episode is essential listening for artists, cultural practitioners, and anyone invested in the transformative power of creativity. Tune in for a thought-provoking dialogue that weaves together personal narratives, artistic philosophy, and a meditation on what it truly means to create with inten

Support the show

Hi, amazing listeners! Emeka Okereke here. I am the founder and host of this show. If you’ve enjoyed the stories, insights, and creativity we bring to this podcast series, I invite you to join my Patreon community at patreon.com/EmekaOkereke. 🎉

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In this thought-provoking episode, host Emeka Okereke sits down with the visionary Ghanaian-born British artist and filmmaker John Akomfrah. Akomfrah is renowned for his groundbreaking contributions to contemporary art and film, where his work poignantly explores themes of memory, post-colonialism, and the lived experiences of migrant diasporas across the globe.

The conversation delves into Akomfrah’s illustrious career, beginning with his pivotal role as a founding member of the Black Audio Film Collective in 1982. The collective’s debut film, Handsworth Songs (1986), marked a significant moment in British cinema. It examined the 1985 riots in Birmingham and London, showcasing Akomfrah’s distinctive style—a rich tapestry of archival footage, still images, and newsreels that challenge conventional storytelling methods and invite viewers to confront complex social issues.

Akomfrah’s work is not just a reflection of historical events but a deeply personal meditation on the intricacies of race, identity, and the persistent impact of colonial legacies. In this episode, he shares insights into how his films and installations serve as vehicles for re-inscribing identity, using art to navigate the often turbulent waters of racial narratives and their profound influence on societal relations and personal identity formation.

Listeners are invited to explore the philosophical underpinnings of Akomfrah’s oeuvre, as he discusses the continuous process of identity formation in dialogue with the ideas of intellectual giants like Stuart Hall and Frantz Fanon. The episode also touches on contemporary issues, such as the global resonance of the Black Lives Matter movement following the tragic killing of George Floyd and the societal upheavals caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Akomfrah articulates how these events underscore the ongoing “presencing” of diasporic identities and the existential realities of living with an awareness of potential violence.

Throughout the conversation, Akomfrah offers a rare glimpse into the creative process behind his works, emphasising the role of artistic passion, integrity, and sacrifice in the pursuit of meaningful art. His reflections provide invaluable guidance for artists today, encouraging them to engage deeply with the cultural and political dimensions of their practice.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in understanding the intersections of art, history, social commentary and the historical archive, as well as the power of film and visual art to provoke thought and inspire change. Tune in to experience a rich dialogue that intertwines personal narratives with historical and philosophical reflections, offering a deeper understanding of the cultural significance of art and its transformative potential in society.

Support the show

Hi, amazing listeners! Emeka Okereke here. I am the founder and host of this show. If you’ve enjoyed the stories, insights, and creativity we bring to this podcast series, I invite you to join my Patreon community at patreon.com/EmekaOkereke. 🎉

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Jide Adeniyi-Jones (b. Lagos, 1952) is a Nigerian documentary photographer based in Lagos and Washington, DC. He credits the English photographer John Vickers for paving his way into photography in 1972. Since then, he has worked across various sectors of the discipline, including advertising, private media, civic service, and contemporary art. 

Having been a photographer for most of Africa's post-independence era, he has witnessed and documented many key political events in the continent as they unfolded. Yet, to those who know him within the profession, Adeniyi-Jones has put his humanity and nuanced way of reading the world at the service of those behind the viewfinder as much as he has of his camera. Moreover, through masterclasses, mentorship programs, jury activities, and informal tutelage, he has, over the years, transmitted his sensibilities to younger professionals in ways that transcend the scope of any documented account. Thus, in many ways, he has contributed to the foundation of thought and ethics of contemporary Nigerian photography, of which many photographers/artists of today are fortunate beneficiaries.

In the 14th episode of Nkata: Art & Processes, Adeniyi-Jones takes us back on memory lane through expansive recollections of noteworthy events of his life and practice that underscores his passion for photography and devotion to social issues. He takes the listener through the ethics of photography accrued over so many years of experience telling stories of everyday persons to explain what he means when he says, "Photography forces you to establish a point of view."

For those searching for the wealth of hindsight, this podcast conversation is an encouraging companion in the interminable journey of growth. This is aptly captured, towards the last minutes of the conversation, when he says, "Move one foot in front of the other, and you will find the road."

Guest: Jide Adeniyi-Jones
Host: Emeka Okereke
Production: Atelier E.K Okereke
Production Assistant: Tom Saater
Photography: Tom Saater

Support the show

Hi, amazing listeners! Emeka Okereke here. I am the founder and host of this show. If you’ve enjoyed the stories, insights, and creativity we bring to this podcast series, I invite you to join my Patreon community at patreon.com/EmekaOkereke. 🎉

Send us a text

Achille Mbembe is no doubt one of the most influential philosophers of the 21st century. Born in Cameroun in 1957, the year that ushered in a ricochet of the independence of African nations – also known as the year of Kwame Nkrumah – in many ways, his work and disposition could be summarised as an embodiment of the spirit of the future. In this conversation moderated by Emeka Okereke for the 13th episode of Nkata Podcast, Art and Processes, Mbembe generously opens up personal spaces to offer intimate knowledge through which the intentions behind his work can be grasped.

Starting with key moments that marked his childhood, he weaves strands of trajectories together while paying tribute to the two people that mattered most in his life: his parents. He speaks of his mother as the one who taught him what joy is all about such that his life's work becomes an ongoing attempt to transform joy into hope.

The passing of his father was the most remarkable moment for him. It was also the moment he became, in all sense of the world, a person born into a "planetary world".

Throughout the conversation, his voice is measured, calm, and thoughtful, yet grounded in the conviction of its cadence. He expands on Afropolitanism, a concept which he helped to coin:

"When I use the term Afropolitanism, it refers to the "becoming planetary" of our predicament."

Most remarkably, the conversation incites the listener to contemplate a world whose cartography is in contestation without evading the indispensable question: what will become of our future in such a world whereby the rate at which we encounter each other is intensified? Mbembe offers a few pointers:

"The question becomes: What are the lines of flight that allow for a modicum of respiration – that allow for the disruption of the logic of suffocation?"

"We live in a state of interminable predicament. We have to learn to live with it in a way that is not sterile – that allows an opening to keep nurturing, at the very least, the spirit of resistance. We have to keep open the possibility of a horizon".

Although not directly, he invites the listener to re-read and re-understand the works of such influential thinkers as Frantz Fanon, Edouard Glissant and Toni Morrison for how they elucidate our times and serve as beacons for the future.

This conversation adds yet another layer of lucidity to thoughts, ideas, and propositions expounded in such seminal works as "The Critic of Black Reason", "Necropolitics", and "Out of The Dark Night" for which Mbembe is deservedly known.

Who would benefit from listening to this conversation? Anyone who is genuinely committed and, by extension, tangibly hopeful about the future of our planet.

Runtime: 73 mins.

Photo Credit: Herby Sachs
Production: E.O Multimedia LTD.
Conceptualisation: Atelier E.K Okereke 
Host: Emeka Okereke
Guest: Achille Mbembe

Support the show

Hi, amazing listeners! Emeka Okereke here. I am the founder and host of this show. If you’ve enjoyed the stories, insights, and creativity we bring to this podcast series, I invite you to join my Patreon community at patreon.com/EmekaOkereke. 🎉

Send us a text

The 12th episode of Nkata Podcast: Art & Processes features a conversation with Koyo Kouoh.

Koyo Kouoh is a Cameroonian-born curator. She is a leading figure in the Contemporary art world. More specifically, she is one of the pioneers who helped shape and articulate contemporary art practices from the African continent and beyond. Her work is rooted in community and institution-building through collaborations. She is the founder of RAW MATERIAL COMPANY, an art space in Dakar that promotes critical thinking and knowledge production through artistic activities. She is currently the Executive Director and Chief Curator of Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town.

Her work spans geography in a tentacular manner and no given order. So, suppose one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century is the limitations that come with mapping and shaping of the borders of the world. In that case, she is one of those remapping and tangibly affecting culture through her movement and way of being in the world.

The podcast conversation starts with Koyo recounting her earlier days. Then, prompted by Emeka Okereke, she dwells extensively on the experiences that propelled her towards her vocation as a curator.

She speaks of her encounter with Toni Morrison's Beloved, the birth of her son; her work as the editor of the German version of Magaret Busby's Daughters of Africa (1992), and meeting of the late avant-garde Senegalese artist Issa Samb. These encounters – layered unto her upbringing (having been born, raised and "bathed in the care of extra-ordinary women") in Cameroun before moving, with her mother, to France and Switzerland at the age of 13 – served as the earliest compass in a world and discipline that she would eventually help forge.

Yet, throughout the conversation, Koyo reiterates the half-truth of merely understanding her work simply as a curator.

"This is not a job. We are workers of the spirit".

The conversation meanders through myriad recollections of Koyo Kouoh's trajectory while elaborating on how they feed into her professional practice.

"I believe in Professional Genealogy".

Faithfully keeping steps with her pace of thoughtful word choices, the conversation makes a running thread from Koyo's dedication to her relationships with artists and young professionals and how that has shaped her notion of institution building.

Koyo's words are a beacon, just as they are a backbone, for artists and art practitioners interested in the wealth of hindsight.

If not for the nuggets of wisdom scattered across the length of the episode, let it be for her concluding words when she speaks of her responsibility in managing a 9,500 square metres space as the Director of Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Arts in Cape Town. It exemplifies the disposition Toni Morrison refers to as "Careful Optimism". In other words, we do this for joy. We do this for hope. We do this for posterity. There is nothing to prove beyond that. Yes, the work is cut out for us. Yet, the possibilities of our agency and subjectivity are humbling as much as they are empowering.

Support the show

Hi, amazing listeners! Emeka Okereke here. I am the founder and host of this show. If you’ve enjoyed the stories, insights, and creativity we bring to this podcast series, I invite you to join my Patreon community at patreon.com/EmekaOkereke. 🎉

Send us a text

Olu Oguibe (b.1964, Aba) is a Nigerian artist and academic living and working in the United States of America. He is one of the foremost scholars of his generation whose work constitutes a pillar of what we now know as Contemporary African art and post-colonial studies. Since 1988, he has saddled a rigorous and prolific artistic practice as a visual artist, writer, curator, professor and art historian. Put succinctly, a credible account of the history and trajectory of Post-colonial/Contemporary art from Africa and the Diaspora is unimaginable without referencing the work of Olu Oguibe.

In conversation with Emeka Okereke for the 12th Episode of Nkata: Art & Processes, Oguibe relives his childhood days growing up in the East of Nigeria. He credits his artistic inclinations to the peculiarity of his childhood upbringing and the circumstances into which he was born. Like James Baldwin or Fela Kuti, Oguibe was born a preacher's son. In the same vein, his birth preceded, by just three years, one of the most defining wars of independence struggles in the 20th century: The Nigeria-Biafra war of 1967 - 1970.

The two hours long conversation takes, as a marker, three poems from the book, "I am Bound To This Land By Blood" – an anthology of poems by Oguibe, written over 25 years. This anthology could easily be considered a sojourner's handbook. To say the least, it lays bare some of the thoughts and emotions underpinning the condition of Exile. It allows us a glimpse into visceral yet convoluted experiences of Patriotism, Love, Conscience, Self and Home(lessness).

The poems set the premise for delving into anecdotes and recollections upon which Oguibe's lifelong preoccupation threads.

He comes full circle when he insists that, all along, his has been "a search for eloquence". However, he anticipates a misreading here by grounding this notion of eloquence in the Igbo cosmology and artistic aesthetics as embodied in the works of Obiora Udechukwu and Chinua Achebe.

The conversation is riddled with references to pioneers who, working in the 20th century, paved the way for the 21st. Each name referenced is a door of history opening out to divergent trajectories. We encourage the listeners of this podcast to further research the practices of all those referenced. The tapestry of history is rich and multilayered!

The podcast is marked with timestamps to help the listener navigate the conversation.

0:00 – Early days, Family home, being Biafran and Nigerian.

10:15 – I am bound to this land by blood. The prophetic vision. 

36: 40 – Conscience as a sojourner's totem

49:50 – Do Not Forget where you come from/ new Diaspora. 

59:00 – The disposition of those who came before us.

90:30 – In Search of eloquence from earlier to recent body of work.

97:20 – Love, Self-love, The Road, Home(lessness).

Support the show

Hi, amazing listeners! Emeka Okereke here. I am the founder and host of this show. If you’ve enjoyed the stories, insights, and creativity we bring to this podcast series, I invite you to join my Patreon community at patreon.com/EmekaOkereke. 🎉