On 21 February, a gathering of diplomats, artists, and cultural figures came together at the Abuja residence of the EU Delegation’s Head of Cooperation to mark the second edition of the Humans Out of the Box exhibition, organised in partnership with investment advisory firm 7 River Capital and curated by Ahmed Mohammed Bello. The evening put two creatives at its centre: Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, whose novel Season of Crimson Blossoms claimed the Nigerian Prize for Literature in 2016, and Benjamin Abana, a painter of dual Danish and Nigerian heritage who became Denmark’s best portrait painter in 2019.

According to The Lagos Review, Both artists joined virtually. Abana spoke about the body of work on display, recent paintings inspired by a desire to document the daily lives of his extended family in Adamawa, an act of intimate, personal archiving. Ibrahim, whose debut was first published by Parrésia Publishers in 2015, took the moment to express gratitude to readers who have kept the novel alive for over a decade. The Danish Ambassador to Nigeria, Jens Ole Bach Hansen, noted that Abana’s work had built bridges between Denmark and Nigeria, and even between Europe and Africa more broadly. Abdulkareem Baba Aminu, COO of Spine and Label Bookshop, used the occasion to call on Northern Nigerian creatives to follow the example of both men in using art and literature to assert the full humanity of the region.

The room itself had ambassadors from Italy and Austria, representatives from the British Council and Institut Français, gender rights activists, and visual artists among the guests, all gathered to celebrate the talents!

Photos from The Lagos Review below: