Artby REWA
REWA was born and raised between Nigeria and England and received a BSc. in Physiology and Pharmacology from University College London (UCL). Never having received formal art training, she is self-taught and developed her innate talent from a very early age. She finds that her spirit is moved by what she refers to as "depicted sentience" and through the celebration of the female form and bright, vivid colours. Her preferred medium of acrylics and ink on canvas provide the immediacy, proximity and transparency to express her most personal experiences and influences living between Lagos, London and Johannesburg, cities she considers home.
REWA’s primary body of work, The Pantheon, celebrating Nigerian deities, led to her appointment as ReLe Gallery’s 2017 Young Contemporary in Lagos, Nigeria. In this same year, the prestigious Gallery of African Art (GAFRA) in Mayfair, London invited REWA to participate in a joint exhibition, Her Story: Sisterhood That Transcends. Her collection, Onicha Ado N’Idu delved into the significance of naming rites and traditions within the Igbo culture in Nigeria.
REWA’s work was featured at the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) in Brooklyn, New York as part of MoCADA’s annual 2017 gala. In 2017, she also participated in the Jonathan Ferrara Gallery’s No Dead Artists 22nd Annual show in New Orleans, USA, showcasing her INU NWUNYE: Bride Price collection.
REWA had her first solo show in 2019 at the Jonathan Ferrara Gallery in New Orleans, Louisiana where she showcased her NWA AGBO: Entering Adolescence series. Her work was also part of the group show at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA) in Cape Town, South Africa – the largest museum of contemporary African art in the world - as part of their critically acclaimed, “Back to the Future: Still Here Tomorrow to High Five You Yesterday” exhibition. Her work also formed part of the Contemporary Art Centre of New Orleans (CACNO) 2019 annual exhibition, Identity Measures, in New Orleans, Louisiana. In addition, REWA was one of the selected artists to participate in Nike’s Women’s World Cup 2019 Campaign, titled, “Don’t Change Your Dream. Change The World” and was featured as part of Unilever’s Vaseline pop-up during the 2019 Essence Festival in New Orleans, USA.
