FERRARA SHOWMAN GALLERY is proud to present onye isi okanga: Proud Beings, the fourth gallery solo exhibition of Lagos, Nigeria-based artist REWA. This exhibition features ten new figurative paintings in the artist’s characteristic, impressionist style of color-blocking the sitters’ skin. Transitioning away from her previously more narrative works, REWA has chosen to focus on portraiture in this latest series. While she has painted portraits in smaller-scale works on paper in the past, the artist has now challenged herself to do so in larger-scale canvases. The resulting works portray larger-than-life figures from the Igbo tribe, of which REWA is a member, who maintain many of the values and mores of their tribe, while adopting aspects of Western culture ranging from garb and hairstyle. onye isi okanga: Proud Beings will be on view through 31 May 2025 with an opening reception on 3 May from 5 – 8 PM  in conjunction with the Arts District New Orleans’ monthly First Saturday Gallery Openings.

REWA discusses the inspiration of her recent work . . .

In onye isi okanga: Proud Beings, I present a bold and emotive body of work that honours the dignity, beauty, and complexity of African identity across generations. Inspired by the Igbo phrase “onye isi okanga”, often used to describe someone who walks with pride and fearlessness, this collection explores the quiet strength and fierce spirit that live within everyday people.

Spanning the stages of life, from the innocence of childhood and the boldness of youth, through the confidence of adulthood to the wisdom and stillness of old age, these portraits form a compelling visual conversation across generations. Each subject is named in Igbo, an intentional act that not only grounds them within a specific cultural and linguistic identity but also affirms their individuality and ancestral belonging. These names are not mere titles - they are declarations, carrying meanings that speak to character, destiny, and heritage.

The figures themselves are crafted in my customary mosaic-like compositions that echo the sacred geometry of stained glass and the storytelling traditions of uli body art. Rendered in radiant hues - cobalt, crimson, emerald, gold - and punctuated with intricate patterns and shimmering highlights, each portrait radiates with energy and intention. The gaze of each subject is deliberate, challenging the viewer to look beyond the surface and into the soul. They are captured in moments of quiet grace and bold assertion: sipping tea in morning light, floating in a pool, reading sacred texts, adjusting sunglasses in the sun, or simply meeting your gaze without apology or explanation.

REWA was born and raised between Nigeria and England and received a BSc. in Physiology and Pharmacology from University College London (UCL). She previously worked as the Head of Corporate Development and Investor Relations for a Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) listed company. Prior to this, she was the Specialty Insurance Executive for Old Mutual West Africa and a Management Consultant at Accenture (UK).

Never having received formal art training, she is self-taught and developed her innate talent from a very early age. Growing up, her father encouraged her creative drive through his expansive art collection from West Africa, providing further impetus for her development. Her formal training as a physiologist / pharmacologist at UCL also prepared her for what has become an exciting journey; she learned to observe in greater detail and to seek deeper meaning.

She knew a few truths about what ignited a frenzy - when going for long stretches creating art with a particular song or artist playing on a continuous loop - but still sought a clear “artistic direction". She finds that her spirit is moved by what she refers to as "depicted sentience" and through the celebration of the female form and bright, vivid colours. Her preferred medium of acrylics and watercolours on cartridge paper provides the immediacy, proximity, and transparency to express her most personal experiences and influences living between Lagos, London and Johannesburg, cities she considers home.

REWA’s artwork represents and glorifies women in our numerous forms; as goddesses, as travelers and most recently, as inexorable forces behind naming rites of the Igbo culture. She has finally found her truth in a voice that is unique to her, one that has induced prolonged frenzies and abundant hours of introverted happiness and zen. For REWA, art creation is synonymous with catharsis and her creations are her life's diary.

For more information, press or sales inquiries please contact Gallery Director Matthew Weldon Showman at 504.343.6827 or matthew@ferrarashowman.com. Please join the conversation with FSG on Instagram (@FerraraShowmanGallery) via the hashtags: #REWA #FerraraShowmanGallery, and #ArtsDistrictNewOrleans.