AKKA PROJECT VENEZIA

On now

• In November 2025, Museum de Fundatie returned without condition, the only Benin bronze plaque, marking a significant step in confronting colonial legacies. This act of restitution forms the basis of the exhibition Back to Benin: New Art, Ancient Legacy, which brings together 10 contemporary Nigerian artists of Edo origin. Through new works inspired by the plaque, the artists dialogue with history, symbolism, and cultural memory. The Benin bronze plaque in Museum de Fundatie collection plaque, which depicts a figure popularly known as a mudfish in Edo Culture, has been acquired in 1937 by the museum’s founder, Dirk Hannema. Back to Benin: New Art, Ancient Legacy puts 10 contemporary Nigerian artists of Edo origin in dialogue with the bronze plaque, which, as with such artefacts, is part of the historical record of the Benin people. Though the British sacking of the Benin Kingdom in 1897 left a wide hole in Benin’s history, its arts and traditions have continued to flourish through the work of contemporary artists and bronze casters. Among them are Leo Asemota, Minne Atairu, Victor Ehikhamenor, Favour Jonathan, Taiye Idahor, Osaru Obaseki, Enotie Ogbebor, Abraham Onoriode Oghobase, Osaze Amadasun and Phil Omodamwen, who were invited to participate in this exhibition. Treating the object as a point of departure, they have created new works that explore the theme of restitution beyond the act of returning physical objects. These artists cast a contemporary look on the history, culture and philosophy of the Benin Kingdom, the symbols and symbolism of its art, and the materiality of artefacts such as the plaque. The exhibition thus seeks to (re)construct the different facets and multidimensional worlds that the plaque represents or evokes. Thereby its contributes to the resistance of the erasure of its existence and the knowledge it constitutes. The artworks in the exhibition come in a variety of media and offer reflections on the 1897 sacking and its aftermath, the symbolism of the mudfish and other Edo motifs and figures, Edo cosmogony and cosmologies. These elements are reappropriated, created and re-imagined as the living legacy of the history and heritage of the Benin Kingdom.
  Description

  Back to Benin - New Art, Ancient Legacy

  Until 26 Oct 2026

  
  More info
• For his month-long takeover of the room, from October 1st till 31st , Mohammed will develop Innesto , a new body of work exploring absence through two architectural references in...
  Description

  Mohammed El Hajoui, AKKA ROOM TAKEOVER - OCTOBER 2026

  Until 31 Oct 2026

  
  More info
• AKKA Project in collaboration with Black History Month Milano (BHMM) and Black History Month Firenze (BHMF), presents Constellations, a group exhibition in support of PICHA Art Center and Lubumbashi Biennale. Based in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo, PICHA Art Center is an independent contemporary art centre dedicated to supporting artists, fostering cultural exchange, and creating opportunities for artistic and cultural development both locally and across the region. Through exhibitions, artist residencies,
  Description

  Constellations : Group exhibition in support of Picha Art Center

  Until 21 Nov 2026

  
  More info