Art, culture and fashion converge in Kampala this July as Nigerian visual artist Olakunle Bolawa presents Ojude Oba Series: Tradition in Motion, a solo photography exhibition opening at Nommo Gallery. Inspired by the iconic Yoruba Ojude Oba Festival, the exhibition celebrates heritage, adornment and movement through bold, ceremonial imagery.
Running from July 10 to 27, 2024, the exhibition transforms Nommo Gallery into a space where tradition meets contemporary style. Drawing from a festival renowned for its colourful regalia, equestrian displays and communal pride, Bolawa presents Yoruba culture not as static history but as a living, evolving visual language.
At the heart of the Ojude Oba Series is adornment. From richly embroidered fabrics and intricate beadwork to the regal dressing of horses and riders, the photographs celebrate fashion as identity, status and storytelling. Each image reads like a moving tableau, royalty in motion, where textiles speak, colours command attention and posture becomes performance.
For Bolawa, style is inseparable from tradition.
“What we wear during Ojude Oba is history on the body,” he explains. “Every colour, every pattern, every accessory carries meaning. This series is about showing how fashion preserves memory while still evolving.”
The exhibition’s visual language is deliberate and refined. Deep purples, indigos, gold accents and earth tones dominate the frames, evoking luxury while remaining rooted in ancestral symbolism. Motion blur and dynamic angles inject energy into the compositions, reinforcing the idea that tradition is not static, it walks, rides, dances and continually reinvents itself.
Kampala’s fashion-forward audience is likely to find resonance in the exhibition’s quiet dialogue between past and present. While the styling is ceremonial, the attitude is unmistakably contemporary. Confidence, pride and elegance define the subjects, aligning seamlessly with today’s Afrocentric fashion narratives.
Presented at Nommo Gallery, Plot 4 Victoria Avenue, Nakasero, and supported by the Uganda National Cultural Centre, the exhibition highlights the growing intersection between art, fashion and cultural expression across Africa. It positions heritage not as nostalgia, but as a living aesthetic that continues to influence designers, photographers and stylists across the continent.
For readers and cultural enthusiasts, Ojude Oba Series: Tradition in Motion serves as a reminder that African fashion has always been radical, intentional and expressive. Long before runways and lookbooks, there were festivals like Ojude Oba, where community became couture and culture dressed itself in pride.
As anticipation builds ahead of its opening, Olakunle Bolawa’s Kampala debut stands poised to be more than an exhibition. It is a style statement rooted in legacy, radiating confidence and moving boldly forward.
