Ofem Ubi

⚡𝟭.𝗘𝗥 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗢 IX CONCURSO INT. DE VIDEOPOESÍA Disponible en FILMIN (link en bio) 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟯: 𝗔𝗡𝗬 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗦 Dirección y poeta OFEM UBI | Poema GRIEF: STILL WATER & GRIEF: A QUESTIONNAIRE | Idioma original INGLÉS | Nigeria SINOPSIS | En Ikom, estado de Cross River (Nigeria), el cineasta y artista Ofem Ubi se pregunta qué se puede recuperar cuando un artista deja su hogar y qué fuerzas le impulsan a volver. Su abuelo conserva registros familiares mientras la ausencia de su abuela deja un vacío en la comunidad. Back on Home Soil (2023), nacida como proyecto de poesía y fotografía, se transforma en una película que explora la memoria, la familia y la pérdida. 𝗢𝗙𝗘𝗠 𝗨𝗕𝗜 @ofem.ubi La práctica artística de Ofem Ubi es una combinación de poesía y artes visuales. Como poeta y artista que vive y trabaja en Nigeria, las obras de Ofem Ubi destacan su interés por el tema de la memoria y su manifestación más allá de los límites de la palabra escrita. 🔥❤️🔥 #videopoesía #videopoema #poesía #malditofestival #malditofestivaldevideopoesia #videoarte #videopoetry #videopoetryfestival #videopoem #poetry #videoart #albacete

During my time at G.A.S. last year, I began to think of multiple ways of bringing into practice the idea of community writing; the idea of poetry as process, as construction, as continuous draft, as material, as multi-lingual, as multi-media, as visual, long durational and multi-authored. I became very interested in the craft of poetry as a shared process more than a solitary practice. This would become my focus at the Text Laboratory Residency Programme organized by The House of Text, @tekstintalo in Helsinki this past summer. How does a community write a poem (or poems as the case may be), and how can a work make space for everybody – even those without the fancy for or knowledge of the pen – to feel at-home-enough, to share their pulse with us. It was at the heart of this rumination that this two-year-old unpublished poem, ‘Collage’, finally found its way into being. ‘Collage’ is a poetry installation that incites community writing. A poem – an ode to memory – that first chronicles the poet’s recollections, becomes the canvas for mutual reminiscence. The installation creates space for the possibilities of a cross-cultural story, crafted by both the poet and the audience– establishing collective authorship.  In the exercise, the audience is encouraged to fill in blank spaces in the work and in the language of their choosing. This action completes the work and creates not only a sense of ownership but serves as a portal to the analysis of self, memory and nostalgia. I am forever grateful to my Project Coordinator & Facilitators whose patience, gentle spirit and dedication helped forge this experiment to life. And shout-out to my fellow resident artists without whom this work and my delightful time at Helsinki, would’ve been impossible. ‘Collage’ is a very versatile work, and its showing at the @runokuu festival was the first installment of this experiment. I am looking forward to exploring this work in different ways, shape and form and I am excited to see what new territories, audiences and stories it leads me to. Kittos! Slide 1 Image credit -@otsokahonenphotography

It is impossible to forget the tragedies, but a constant conducting of the memory will always keep the orchestra of the dead, alive in us; it will keep playing, and we will keep listening. How else do you keep the unliving alive? In commemoration of the five-year anniversary of the #EndSARS protests in Nigeria, Prince Uhunoma Charles @_uhunoma and I created, “Soro Soke: What Do You Remember?”, an audio-visual production exploring how memory survives in the aftermath of the October 20th Shootings. The film was commissioned by Goethe-Institut Nigeria under the Art & Country initiative, in partnership with Art Bridge Project and collaboration with NWA ALA Collective. Uhunoma and I combine performance, theatre, sound, and archival footage to examine how society processes collective trauma. We consider how fragments of societal rupture (after Oct. 20, 2020) remain embedded in everyday Nigerian life. I have culled this short – ‘What is Left of What Remains’ – from the full audio-visual production. With this cut, I hope to hone in on who the main sufferers of what seems to be our “collective grief” are. I look at those who have to do the heavy lifting of remembering protesters who were killed during the demonstrations. Who are they survived by? What weight has loss left on them? Is it their duty to sustain the memory and legacy of those who have passed painfully even as they cope with loss? The entire culled short can be found on my website via link in bio. A huge gratitude to the Goethe Institut, for making this procession and homage possible. And thank you to the entire team who saw this project through from the beginning. Executive Producer- Goethe Institut, Nigeria @goetheinstitut_nigeria Producer- Oludamilare Kolawole @oludamilarekolawole Co-Directors- Ofem Ubi, Prince Uhunoma Charles Director of Photography- Ofem Ubi Sound Design- Olorunjedalo Productions @olorunjedaloproductions_ Fixers- Damilola Bankole @dharmhie Vivian Elecha @vivianelecha Performers- Lawal Rodiah @roddielaw Sam Udoh @mrsamibom Women- Kehinde Zuzu, Rasheedat Adamson, Sade George

I have always possessed an audacity for creative thought; I have always dreamt of doing so many things. And whilst even now these ambitions have grown bigger, my first residency at Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation provided the crates on which I could stand and really see, that the things that kept me up at night could be brought to light— they were right. I am glad to be a part of the contributing artists for Chorus, G.A.S. Foundation’s multimedia installation conceived for the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia (@labiennale ) by Koyo Kouoh, In Minor Keys, on view at the Arsenale, Venice from 9 May - 22 November 2026. Emerging from the Foundation’s residency programme across Lagos and the G.A.S. Farm House in Ikise, Chorus draws on the Yorubá courtyard as both architectural and conceptual anchor, a space of gathering, ritual, and intergenerational exchange. The installation brings together voices of former residents and collaborators through sound, colour, and moving image. The artwork is led by Ann Marie Peña (@ms.a.m.pena ), with support from Yinka Shonibare CBE (@yinkashonibarestudio ), Belinda Holden (@belholden ), and Moni Aisida (@solamoni ); project managed by Samantha Russell (@fiberlegacy ), with architectural installation design by MOE+ Art Architecture (@moeaa.feed ). Film production is by Filmwrights (Randall Wright) and Julie Buckland; sound design by Sound Disposition (@sound_disp ) and Funmilola Ogunshina (@funmitheunicorn ). Fellow contributors; Alberta Whittle (@purebred.mongrel ), Ayomide Fasedu (@the_midefash ), Bisila Noha (@bisilanoha ), Catherine Bardi (@bardi.oo ), Damilola Akin-Olasupo, Emma Prempeh (@reclus__e ), E.N. Mirembe (@subtleroyalty ), Gideon Gomo (@gideongomo ), Jonn Gale (balkanjonn), Olayinka Eno Babalola (@island.sunsets ), Olufela Omokeko (@omokeko ), Portia Zvavahera (@zvavaherportia ), Raqs Media Collective (@raqsmediacollective ), Raymond Pinto (@raymondpinto ), Sola Olúlode (@solaolulode ), Tobi Onabolu (@tobionabolu ), and Umar Rashid (@frohawktwofeathers ). My gratitude remains with @gasfoundation , @yinkashonibarefoundation and all who supported in bringing our Chorus to life. May your chorus be bigger!

I am thankful for commissions, collaborations and work with Institutions that let/help me make what is not only meaningful for all but also true to me, my creative spirit and form. If you’re about more, I am equally open to more of the same this year: workshop facilitations, assignments, commissions, collaborations and more of what is culturally important. In the words of Denzel, See you at work!

Omen. To names and the act of naming. What is your name?

Earlier this year, while working on Art & Country—a project marking five years since the EndSARS massacre—the question of space became unavoidable. The project needed to sit in Lekki, symbolically. From the beginning of the year, arrangements were made with a space, planning toward October. Then, close to the event, the space withdrew. The reason was simple and heavy: the theme was “too sensitive.” This moment happened alongside the controversy around the Owambe exhibition, where another space had also pulled out. Suddenly, space was no longer a neutral container. It revealed itself as an active force—shaping what can be said, remembered, or publicly held. We moved from space to space, meeting hesitation, silence, and refusal. Until one space chose to step in @wunikamukangallery stood in the gap when it mattered most. Not as a gesture of convenience, but as an act of courage. This post is a thank you to Wunikan Mukan Gallery for aligning with the spirit of freedom, for standing with memory and truth when it was easier to step away. This reaffirm why space matters—not just architecturally, but ethically and politically. As a society, we must rethink what art spaces mean. Not as safe, neutral grounds, but as sites of responsibility, risk, and possibility. @goetheinstitut_nigeria

"SOHR was created for moments like this". A week ago, we hosted our very first residency project themed Neo-Nostalgia, bringing together over 10 creatives—producers, artistes, writers—for a 3-day boot camp packed with fun, learning, and collaboration. Our goal was simple: to educate, inspire, and collectively birth meaningful artistic projects in just three days. For our learning segment, we had an insightful session led by the brilliant @ofem.ubi . His class was designed to guide our residents on the beauty of “taking away,” while also finding unexpected connections in the development of creative works.From the art of blackout poetry to the genealogy of musical excellence, Ubi’s session was deeply impactful and directly shaped the development of… well, more on that later! We’re proud to share moments from the residency, and we hope you enjoy them as they roll out over the coming week. What’s more? We’ve got another learning session coming up with Peter Okere, a project manager extraordinaire, on “How AI Can Support Music Creation,” happening on December 12, 2025. Stay tuned.

‘Summer Summary’ of my time at Helsinki, Finland for the @tekstintalo Text Laboratory Residency Programme. This programme is one of the highlights of my year for many reasons, especially because it pushed me to see beyond my usual, and to make in spite of the boundaries that existed. Still much thankful to my coordinator, facilitators, the entire team and my fellow residents for such a moment.

⚡𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗢 𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗗𝗘𝗟 𝗣𝗨́𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗢 IX CONCURSO INT. DE VIDEOPOESÍA Disponible en FILMIN 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟯: 𝗔𝗡𝗬 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗦 Dirección y poeta OFEM UBI | Poema GRIEF: STILL WATER & GRIEF: A QUESTIONNAIRE | Idioma original INGLÉS | Nigeria SINOPSIS | En Ikom, estado de Cross River (Nigeria), el cineasta y artista Ofem Ubi se pregunta qué se puede recuperar cuando un artista deja su hogar y qué fuerzas le impulsan a volver. Su abuelo conserva registros familiares mientras la ausencia de su abuela deja un vacío en la comunidad. Back on Home Soil (2023), nacida como proyecto de poesía y fotografía, se transforma en una película que explora la memoria, la familia y la pérdida. 𝗢𝗙𝗘𝗠 𝗨𝗕𝗜 @ofem.ubi La práctica artística de Ofem Ubi es una combinación de poesía y artes visuales. Como poeta y artista que vive y trabaja en Nigeria, las obras de Ofem Ubi destacan su interés por el tema de la memoria y su manifestación más allá de los límites de la palabra escrita. 🔥❤️🔥 #videopoesía #videopoema #poesía #malditofestival #malditofestivaldevideopoesia #videoarte #videopoetry #videopoetryfestival #videopoem #poetry #videoart #albacete

original photography on website via link in bio. BTS photos- Damilola Bankole @dharmhie

Meet the Artists: Ofem Ubi & Prince Uhuoma Charles Soro Soke: What Do You Remember is anchored by multidisciplinary artists Ofem Ubi and Prince Uhuoma Charles, in collaboration with Nwa Ala Collective. Working across poetry, visual art, and moving images, the artists weave together performance, theatre, sound, and archival footage to probe how society processes collective trauma—and how traces of violence remain embedded in everyday Nigerian life. Together, they confront the erasure of state violence and the imprint of unhealed trauma on Nigerian society and its civic culture. 🗓 Date: October 19, 2025 🕓 Time: 4:30 PM – 6 PM 📍 Venue: 31B Bashorun R.I. Okunsanya Avenue, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos Soro Soke: What Do You Remember is presented by Goethe-Institut Nigeria in partnership with Art Bridge Project, under the Art & Country initiative. Conceived to mark five years since the #EndSARS Massacre of October 20, 2020, this artist-led exhibition invites collective remembrance and reflection. #SoroSoke #WhatDoYouRemember #EndSARS #GoetheInstitutNigeria #ArtBridgeProject #NwaAlaCollective #NigerianArt #PerformanceArt #ArtAndCountry #LagosArtScene