The Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA) at Pan-Atlantic University has opened a new exhibition, “Tracing Forms: The Art of Making,” which invites audiences to look beyond finished artworks and into the creative processes that bring them to life. The exhibition, which opened on March 1, 2026, spans painting, sculpture, ceramics, digital media and experimental picture-making, offering a sweeping survey of contemporary Nigerian art practice.
At its core, the exhibition asserts a simple yet profound idea: art begins with making. Through brush and pigment, carving and casting, clay and fire, lens and software, and fabric and layered surfaces, artists transform raw materials into meaning. By foregrounding process, technique and experimentation, the show shifts attention to the decisions, skills and innovations that shape artistic expression.
The exhibition is structured into five thematic segments, Pigment & Gesture, Form & Structure, Pixel & Lens, Clay & Fire, and Surface & Reinvention, each representing a distinct language of making. Together they reflect the diversity and dynamism of the Nigerian contemporary art scene, from energetic brushstrokes and bronze casting to digitally manipulated imagery and textile-infused mixed-media work.
•Paintings on display at the “Tracing Forms” exhibition of the YSMA“Tracing Forms reflects our mission to deepen understanding not only of what art is, but how art is made. By revealing process, material, and experimentation, this exhibition opens new pathways for learning, for students, scholars and the wider public,” – Dr Jess Castellote, Museum Director, YSMA
Speaking at the opening, the museum’s director, Dr Jess Castellote, described the exhibition as central to YSMA’s educational mission. He emphasised its ambition to place Nigerian art within a global conversation about technique, innovation and artistic knowledge.
The exhibition’s curator, Charles Udeh, underscored the conceptual thrust of the project. “Every artwork begins with a series of choices — about material, method and transformation,” he said. “Whether it’s the pressure of a brushstroke, the precision of a chisel, the heat of a kiln, or the layering of digital pixels, each technique tells a story.”
Tracing Forms is on view at the Fumilayo Shyllon Gallery at YSMA, Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos. Admission is open to the public.
Voted Museum Opening of the Year by Apollo Magazine in 2020, the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art at Pan-Atlantic University is West Africa’s leading university museum. Its collection spans centuries of Nigerian art heritage, and it offers a broad programme of exhibitions, educational events and cultural activities. Further information is available at www.museum.pau.edu.ng.
•Featured image: Sculptures and mixed-media works on display at the “Tracing Forms” exhibition of the YSMA
