About the artist
Ceremonies of becoming.
Gideon Abowha (Echovara Art) is a Nigerian-born visual artist based in the United Kingdom. His practice centres on traditional African ceremonies, festivals, and rituals as dynamic expressions of cultural memory and identity.
Through vibrant mixed media paintings incorporating acrylic, fabric, beads, and newsprint, he explores how these living traditions continue to shape belonging, resilience, and a sense of becoming in the diaspora.
His ongoing series Ceremonies of Becoming portrays moments of collective ritual and personal adornment — from the dignified strength of the Mursi people and the graceful elegance of the Fulani, to the energetic Yoruba dancers, the majestic Northern Riders of the Durbar Festival, and the hopeful communal spirit of the Argungu Fishing Festival. Layered texture and symbolism reflect both the vibrancy of these traditions and the emotional complexity of carrying them forward in a new cultural context.
Abowha's work has been featured in exhibitions in the UK and Nigeria, with press recognition in Tribune Online, Independent Newspaper Nigeria, and PM News Nigeria. He is currently developing cohesive bodies of work that bridge African cultural traditions with contemporary painting, contributing a distinct African diaspora voice to the British arts landscape.
Artist statement
My work investigates African ceremonies and festivals as powerful spaces of becoming — where cultural identity is actively performed, remembered, and reimagined across distance and time. The paintings are not mere documentation, but contemporary reflections on continuity, memory, and adaptation — honouring the dignity, joy, and resilience embedded in African cultural expressions while contemplating how these rituals sustain identity amid the realities of migration and diaspora life.
— Gideon Abowha, Echovara Art
Born
Southwestern Nigeria
Lives & works
London, United Kingdom
Medium
Mixed media painting