Victor Ehikhamenor and his non-profit, Angels and Muse, are set to launch the inaugural Black Muse Art Festival in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, from November 8–12, 2025. This five-day event, according to a statement, is designed as a landmark cultural initiative to celebrate African art, culture and community, fostering collaboration and creative innovation across Nigeria, Africa and the diaspora.
The festival is the Nigerian artist and writer’s most ambitious philanthropic undertaking to date, expanding on the momentum of the Black Muse Residence launched in 2024. It is dedicated to positioning African art as a vital catalyst for conservation, memory, and collective renewal in his hometown, Benin City.
At the core of the festival is the realisation of Ehikhamenor’s long-held dream: the inauguration of the Black Muse Sculpture Park, a public space where art, community, and the environment intersect.
“For years, I have carried the dream of a sculpture park – an open space where art, community, and environment could exist in dialogue. With the Black Muse Art Festival, that dream comes alive in Benin City, a place steeped in history yet ever ready to welcome new visions,” explains Ehikhamenor.
The park and festival together embody his commitment to creating lasting cultural infrastructure, celebrating African artistic heritage, and fostering spaces for creative exchange across generations and borders.
Inspired by Wole Soyinka’s play A Dance of the Forests, the festival theme, “Let the Forest Dance,” positions art and literature as a lens for conservation, community, and cultural continuity.
“In ancient Benin, sacred groves were revered as sanctuaries of spirit and biodiversity; today, that wisdom underscores the urgent need to protect both nature and community. The festival takes this as a call to action: imagining how artistic and literary practices can sustain memory, creativity, and collective renewal,” said the statement.
The Black Muse Sculpture Park is anchored by the Ázágbà Pavilion, a bamboo architectural feat by Architect-in-Residence James Inedu George. Named after the Esan word for “compound,” it embodies communal life, while Victor Ehikhamenor’s stained-glass windows bathe the structure in shifting light – a dialogue between tradition and innovation.
Surrounding the pavilion, the park opens with a major exhibition curated by Kenyan curator Renee Mboya. “Today, Tomorrow, the Moon Will Still Be” traces sculpture’s enduring presence in African art, from ancestral bronzes and terracottas to contemporary experimentation. Featuring Olanrewaju Tejuosho, Osaru Obaseki, Ayobami Ogungbe, Uzor Ugoala, Kelly Omodamwen, Seidougha Linus Eyimiegha (Mr. Danfo), and David Alabo, the exhibition reflects on sculpture’s histories while embracing its present possibilities.
The festival also launches the Àkòròlé Residency, a new programme for mid-career and established practitioners. Meaning “to plant, gather, and eat” in Esan, Àkòròlé embodies harvest and communal sharing, hosting four creative practitioners annually to deepen local engagement and connect to global conversations.
A key partnership with the University of Benin’s Department of Fine and Applied Art and Department of Theatre Arts further bridges academia and practice, with students and faculty participating through exhibitions, performances, readings, and workshops.
Beyond these anchors, the festival programme expands to include film screenings, concerts, performances, culinary explorations, workshops, and community gatherings, ensuring the Black Muse Art Festival is both a celebration of art and a reflection of shared life.
Angels and Muse is a non-profit art organisation dedicated to supporting artists, writers, curators and interdisciplinary practitioners in Nigeria, Africa, and the diaspora. Founded by visual artist Victor Ehikhamenor in 2018, it fosters creative experimentation through residencies, exhibitions, publications, and cultural programming. With spaces in Lagos and Benin City, it serves as a thought laboratory for critical thinking, collaboration, and artistic innovation.
•Featured image: Victor Ehikhamenor inside Black Muse Residency, Benin City, Nigeria, 2025. Image Courtesy of Angels & Muse and the artist
