Just south of the Thames River, lies Peckham in South London, a multicultural region popularly called London’s little Lagos where British Nigerian actor John Boyega grew up.
In the streets of Peckham, brick walls carrying unique street art can be seen as well as grocery stores that sell fruits, vegetables, and food crops indigenous to Nigeria.
Over the last decades, there has been significant growth in the number of Nigerians in the diaspora in the Peckham community. Throughout the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s, Nigerians moving abroad purchased property and set up businesses.
To portray London’s relationship with the Nigerian diaspora, a new exhibition was launched with the theme, “Lagos, Peckham, Repeat: Pilgrimage to the Lakes.”
Holding at South London Gallery, the exhibition features sculpture, installation, photography, and films that tell the Nigerian migrant and cultural story. Folakunle Oshun, who co-curated the exhibition, is an artist who founded the Lagos Biennial, a non-profit platform supporting contemporary art in the city.
A short film “Entitled,” is featured in the exhibition. as well as Turner Prize nominee Yinka Shonibare’s work “Diary of a Victorian Dandy” (1998) which partly reflects his life as a Black man with a physical disability. In addition, Temitayo Ogunbiyi’s play sculpture, designed for visitors to interact with, was inspired by the flight route from Lagos to London, as well as the plants she encountered in Lagos.
The exhibition is set to run until 29th October 2023 at South London Gallery & Fire Station Galleries.
