Benin City, Edo State The cultural heart of Nigeria is pulsing with creativity this week as the Black Muse Art Festival officially opens its doors, unveiling a spectacular 3,500-square-metre sculpture park that is already being hailed as a major achievement in public art and community space.
The festival running from 8–12 November 2025 serves as a gathering for artists, writers, and cultural practitioners from Nigeria, West Africa, and the diaspora. Curated by Angels & Muse, the event’s flagship project is the sculpture park, designed to be a permanent public space for art, reflection, and green community engagement.
A Vision Realized: Art, Architecture, and Nature
At the centre of the park stands a striking bamboo pavilion, named Ázágbà, conceived by architect James Inedu-George and infused with stained-glass work by renowned artist Victor Ehikhamenor. The design marries modern architectural sensibility with Indigenous traditions the pavilion recalls Esan compounds of old, while also symbolizing the festival’s commitment to ecological harmony.
Surrounding the pavilion are dozens of sculptures by both emerging and established artists, commissioned especially for this first edition of the festival. Kenyan curator Renée Akitelek Mboya spearheaded the “Today, Tomorrow, the Moon Will Still Be” exhibition a thoughtful exploration of time, memory, and materiality through sculpture.
Festival Highlights Beyond the Park
The Black Muse festival is not just about static exhibitions. Over its five-day run, attendees can engage in:
- Live Performances: Theatre, dance, and music from local and international artists bringing the forest’s rhythms alive.
- Workshops & Residencies: The Àkòròlé Residency, launching this year, is hosting mid-career practitioners who will collaborate, exchange ideas, and build community-rooted work.
- Talks & Readings: Conversations between artists, academics, and community members exploring themes of ecology, history, and identity.
- Community Engagement: Guided walks, food tastings, and public dialogues invite residents to reconnect with Benin’s cultural and natural heritage.
A Cultural Statement with Global Resonance
For Victor Ehikhamenor, the festival founder and creative force behind the pavilion, Black Muse represents more than an artistic event: it’s a re imagining of how art can serve public space, memory, and sustainability. In earlier interviews, he said the forest is both metaphor and reality art, like the forest, should be accessible, nurturing, and generative.
Festival organizers hope the sculpture park will become a lasting legacy not just a temporary installation. Plans are already underway for it to host future public programming, community events, and even ecological education projects tied to Benin’s historic groves and green spaces.
Impact on Community and Tourism
Local leaders are optimistic about the festival’s long-term social and economic benefits. According to Angels & Muse, the park has the potential to attract tourists, foster local arts entrepreneurship, and strengthen community identity.
Residents of Benin City are particularly proud of the effort: many see Ázágbà and the surrounding sculptures as a space where their children can play, learn, and dream without having to leave their city. For them, the pavilion is not just a piece of architecture; it’s a gathering place, a public gift.
Challenges and Aspirations
While the launch has been celebrated, festival organizers acknowledge that sustaining such a space will require ongoing funding, community involvement, and civic stewardship. Questions remain about maintenance especially for a bamboo structure in a tropical climate and for building a sustainable operating model that keeps the park alive beyond the festival.
Moreover, making the site safe, accessible, and welcoming to all residents is a major priority. Organizers are already in talks with Edo State’s cultural and environmental agencies to ensure the park is seamlessly integrated into civic life.
Cultural Diplomacy & Artist Legacy
Black Muse is not just a local affair it’s a signal of Nigeria’s position in global cultural networks. By bringing together artists from across Africa and the diaspora, it strengthens cross-cultural exchange and sets a precedent for how art can shape public consciousness.
Ehikhamenor, whose work resonates in the U.S. and Europe, hopes that the festival will become a biennial or annual anchor, turning Benin City into a pilgrimage site for artists and cultural lovers worldwide.
What’s Next
- Park Activation: Post-festival, plans include regular public programming, school tours, and community workshops to keep the park active.
- Maintenance Strategy: A long-term fund is being proposed to support the structural integrity of the bamboo pavilion and preservation of artworks.
- Partnerships: Angel & Muse is in talks with local universities and environmental NGOs to use the park for education, sustainability, and research.
- Public Ownership: Local government has floated a plan to formally adopt the sculpture park as part of the city’s cultural infrastructure, ensuring citizen participation in its oversight.
As the Black Muse Art Festival unfolds in Benin City, its sculpture park stands as a powerful testament to what public art, environmental consciousness, and community engagement can achieve together. Far from being a passive display, the park is a living, breathing space of imagination one that challenges us to rethink what art is for, and who it is for. In a country grappling with insecurity and conflict, Black Muse offers something rare: a hopeful vision of creativity, connection, and renewal.
