New Exhibit at the Southampton African American Museum Highlights Black Power

In December 2021, Mayowa Nwadike, a young artist from Nigeria, landed in New York City with the ambitious goal of developing his career as a professional artist.

Nwadike, who lives in Harlem, has been at it ever since.

“For the most part, it’s been great,” said the self-taught artist. “The first big challenge was the food. I’ve gradually gotten used to it. I’ve learned where to go to get what I want. I’m also lactose intolerant, so I can’t do cheese.”

But what Nwadike can do is absorb the energy of the city and translate it into colorful paintings and intense charcoal works, which is what keeps him motivated and pushing ahead. He describes Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, as having the same energy as New York, and in his current work, he focuses on the worlds of New York’s streets, subways and parks.

“These three different energies give me a constant dose of inspiration. The message I try to find in the parks is people embracing who they are — embracing the feminine energy and pushing against toxic masculinity — and I could see people living that in their everyday life.

“I’ve loved Harlem so far,” he added. “It’s pretty quiet and there’s a park across from me. At 1 a.m. I’ll go out there sketching and exploring new ideas. That’s where I get my own inspiration, a quiet place in the park,” he added. “I used to visit New York and I just loved the vibrancy of the city. When I decided to come here, it was a big step for me. I decided to drop out of school and pursue art full time. I thought, ‘If I’m going to pursue this, I need to do it up right.”

Doing it up right not only means expanding his vocabulary as an artist, but also getting his work seen by the public. To that end, two of Nwadike’s pieces are on view now in a new show at the Southampton African American Museum. Titled “The Black Power Exhibit: The Revolutionaries,” the show, which opened over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, is curated by Frank Bold and his wife, Kilsi Rodriguez Bold. The Bolds are the founders of the New York City-based Bold Art Society, whose mission is to bridge the gap between students and potential careers in the arts by providing high school and college students with professional opportunities in the arts.

“The Black Power Exhibit” includes artwork by both professional artists and five students from Innovation High School in East Harlem, where the Bolds offer after-school programming in theater and the fine arts. The professional artists in the show include Jackson Georges, Chet Gold, Naderson Saint Pierre, Youvaline Joseph and Nwadike (who was introduced to Frank and Kilsi Rodriguez Bold by Brenda Simmons, co-founder and executive director of SAAM).

“The show features people from the 14th century to present day who were part of the African diaspora,” Frank Bold explained. “We wanted to explore the imagination of our students and had them create superheroes whose powers were to protect black people.

“Part of what we do is interview different professionals within the arts to show students the career opportunities,” he continued. “I went out there [to Southampton] to show students that you can one day start your own gallery, like Brenda did. In the process, we had just done our first Black Power exhibit, so the timing went perfectly. Brenda was looking for something for Black History Month, so it spiraled pretty fast.”

The exhibit on Black Power is a traveling one, and Bold notes that it has been shown in two locations previously — the YMCA in Kingston and another venue in Brooklyn.

“But the theme is different this time,” he said. “Before it was kind of the interpretation of artist to figure out what their definition of Black Power is.”

This time, it’s about the revolutionaries of the movement. For Nwadike, the two pieces on view in “The Black Power Exhibit: The Revolutionaries” speak to power in very different ways.

His first piece, “Saraounia,” is a vibrant acrylic and charcoal on canvas painting depicting Sarraounia Mangou, an African priestess and warrior who, in 1899, fought French troops in the Battle of Lougou in present day Niger. Nwadike’s second work is a charcoal on paper piece titled “NAC NAS (Not A Criminal Not A Saint).” It depicts a blindfolded young Black man screaming as he pulls at a rosary around his neck. The words “Not A Criminal Not A Saint” are inscribed on the blindfold.

“It’s interesting, those two pieces are from different transitional points in my life,” he said. “In 2019, I started moving into a more symbolic form of art. Before that, most of the symbolism was right in your face. I began looking for subtle ways to talk about certain subjects, give people more room for their own interpretation.

“‘Saraounia’ was the second work I did in New York City. She embodied feminism before Africa knew what feminism was. She was a fighter against the French colonial masters and against the war. She was an inspiring spirit for me. We talk about Black Power, but don’t want limit it to the U.S.

“For the ‘NAC NAS’ piece, it was almost like a prophetic statement,” he continued. “Around 2018 and ’19 I was studying the Black Power movement. I watched a lot of Spike Lee movies, and was struck by one about the pressure society places on people, especially where I’m from, on how you look and dress.

“The human being shouldn’t be put in a box based just on their appearance,” he said. “I feel you should give room for interaction to understand humans.”

Nwadike explains that a major inspiration for the piece came from Spike Lee’s movie, “BlacKkKlansman” which followed a Black police detective who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan.

“There is a lot of risk taken by Black people in Africa and in the U.S. and there have been fights for them to get to where they are today,” Nwadike explained. “‘NAC NAS’ is also about pushing against police brutality. The rosary in the piece is symbolic of the church, but also the chains bound around the necks of Black people across the world. He’s a uniquely dressed young man, with the chains on him as Black person. He’s not a criminal and he’s not a saint. Don’t limit opinions to skin color and clothes. Get to know me deeper.

“‘Sarounia,’ fought in 1899. She was dealt a similar lashing, but with a different cane and we’re still being dealt that,” Nwadike said. “That’s why I want to talk to the Black Power movement, which also fought for freedom of their people which is an extension of that in Africa. There’s room for woman to be who they are. Let woman be 100 percent expressive. In ‘Sarounia,’ she blossoms. She wears purple, which is the sign of royalty, and she wears a neckpiece of the wealthy. The object she’s carrying in her hand is only held by the kings and chiefs and those of royal background. I also toned the body, so she’s not too masculine nor too feminine. She’s somewhat androgynous to push back against those expectations.

Recently, Nwadike has been creating art that depicts a combination of African and western culture. These works contain a touch of beauty, but also a touch of darkness.

“I feel every Black woman is powerful. I don’t have to pick a certain person, every person I meet is powerful in their own way,” he said.

And while Nwadike is working hard to build his life and a support system as an artist in his new homeland, he is getting there.

“I think most of my connections have come in the past six months,” Nwadike said. “I’m not so out going, I take my time to get used to the environment. The first three connections I made weren’t really in New York — it was through a show I had done in the museum in Chicago and the artists took me under their wing. It’s a different art space and art sense. I connect with older artists, so it’s a gradual process.”

When asked how his artwork has changed since his arrival in New York, Nwadike says, “I’ll say it’s changed in so many ways. The first thing I told myself when I moved is, ‘You have no excuses, you need to grow.’ Back home, I was limited in resources and materials.”

Nwadike acknowledges the difficulty involved in surviving in New York — balancing finances and paying rent, which he manages by keeping his day job at a wine bar in the city.

“I’m allocating enough time and money to do the work,” he said. “The cost of living is expensive, but the reward is almost in real time compared to back home, with more people appreciating my work, interacting with me in conversations from the work.

“I’m on a mission,” he added. “Africa will always be home, but I’ve been able to make home here. Home is where I can make art.”

“The Black Power Exhibit: The Revolutionaries” remains on view through March 30 at the Southampton African American Museum, 245 North Sea Road, Southampton.