Nigerian visual artist Daniel Onorezi Adaka took first place at the 4th Visual Arts Competition and Exhibition organised by the Embassy of Spain in Nigeria, staged at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja. Out of a shortlist of 39 works selected from across the country, his painting was named best in show at the exhibition that served as the grand finale of the competition — announced at the award presentation of 13 October 2009, at the close of Spanish Cultural Week.
At a glance
- Event: 4th Visual Arts Competition and Exhibition, organised by the Embassy of Spain in Nigeria
- Venue: Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja
- Dates: 9–16 October 2009 (Spanish Cultural Week); award presentation 13 October 2009
- Theme: Nigeria vs. Spain: Football Passion!
- Shortlisted works exhibited: 39
- First place: Daniel Onorezi Adaka
- Second place: Folani Razaq
- Third place: Ademola Adebambo
- First prize: an all-expenses-paid, four-day trip to Spain to attend ARCO, the international contemporary art fair in Madrid
How the Embassy of Spain opened a channel for Nigerian art
The competition was the fourth edition of a visual arts project run by the Embassy of Spain in Nigeria in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation and the National Gallery of Art. It ran inside Spanish Cultural Week, held from 9 to 16 October 2009, and the group exhibition in Abuja acted as the grand finale of the contest.
The brief was to open international channels for local contemporary artists — and the theme was set to travel: Nigeria vs. Spain: Football Passion! It was timed to ride the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which Nigeria hosted that same October, and to bring the two countries together through a shared passion and a shared language.
“Coinciding with the FIFA U-17 World Cup taking place in Nigeria presently, is to give young Nigerian artists an opportunity to show their talents and to unite both countries through a common passion — football — and a common language — art.”
Angel Losada Fernandez, Ambassador of Spain to Nigeria
Daniel Onorezi Adaka: first place from a shortlist of 39
Daniel Onorezi Adaka (also written Daniel Ono Adaka) came first. His work was shown with those of the two artists who ranked behind him, Folani Razaq and Ademola Adebambo, at the head of a shortlist of 39 works drawn from across Nigeria.
Nigeria vs. Spain: Football Passion — the winning painting
Adaka built his entry around a fantasy final: Nigeria against Spain, with the two countries represented by their painters as much as by their footballers. The canvas pits Pablo Picasso and Ben Enwonwu against each other on the pitch, while Kanu Nwankwo and Fernando Torres lead the supporters — and the passion is carried on indigenous instruments, the talking drum and the mandolin.
“I tried to imagine a World Cup final between Nigeria and Spain, with the legendary artists Pablo Picasso and Ben Enwonwu, a prolific painter and sculptor, attacking for Nigeria, and two great living legends, Kanu Nwankwo and Fernando Torres, leading the supporters club and playing with such dexterity and passion on indigenous musical instruments — the talking drum and the mandolin.”
Daniel Onorezi Adaka on his winning work
Second and third place
Folani Razaq took second place and Ademola Adebambo took third. Both were awarded sets of art materials, while Adaka’s winning canvas sat alongside the rest of the 39 shortlisted works from the national competition.
The first prize: a working trip into the Spanish art market
The first prize was an all-expenses-paid, four-day trip to Spain in February 2010 to attend ARCO, the international contemporary art fair in Madrid. It was the practical half of the embassy’s promise: not just a plaque, but a working introduction to one of Europe’s most important art markets, and a first route out for an artist whose practice had been built entirely inside Nigeria.
The award presentation in Abuja
Prizes were presented at the Transcorp Hilton on 13 October 2009. Among those at the ceremony were the Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria, Angel Losada Fernandez; the Cultural and Cooperation Adviser at the Embassy of Spain, Eva Barta Martin; a representative of the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation; and a representative of the Director-General of the National Gallery of Art. The room also drew art critics, heads of cultural centres and members of the selection panel that had sifted the national entry.
Why the win mattered
In 2009, formal routes from a Nigerian studio to a European art fair were rare. The embassy competition was one of the few, and it worked the way a good platform should: it set a national brief, shortlisted work from across the country rather than from one city, put the shortlist in front of an international jury and a public exhibition, and attached a prize that led somewhere — Madrid in February.
For Adaka, the result is a marker in a career that has continued to develop since; for the Nigerian contemporary art scene, it is a reminder of how much international exchange was already being built from Abuja long before the current global attention on Nigerian art. And the work itself still reads as a piece of its moment: two national passions, football and painting, argued out in one canvas.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the Embassy of Spain art competition in Nigeria in 2009?
Daniel Onorezi Adaka (also written Daniel Ono Adaka) won first place at the 4th Visual Arts Competition and Exhibition organised by the Embassy of Spain in Nigeria, held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
How many works were shortlisted for the exhibition?
Thirty-nine works were shortlisted from across Nigeria and exhibited at the grand finale of the competition in Abuja.
What was the theme of the competition?
The theme was Nigeria vs. Spain: Football Passion!, chosen to coincide with the FIFA U-17 World Cup hosted by Nigeria in October 2009.
What did the winner receive?
The first prize was an all-expenses-paid, four-day trip to Spain in February 2010 to attend ARCO, the international contemporary art fair in Madrid. The second and third prizes were sets of art materials.
Who came second and third?
Folani Razaq came second and Ademola Adebambo came third, with Adaka’s winning work featured alongside theirs.
When and where was the exhibition held?
The exhibition and award presentation took place in October 2009 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, inside Spanish Cultural Week (9–16 October 2009), with the awards presented on 13 October 2009.
Further reading
- Daily Trust, “Spain opens unique channel for visual arts” by Adie Vanessa Offiong, 16 October 2009.
- WeRunthings archive: “Daniel Onorezi Adaka wins Spanish Embassy Art Competition”, originally published 8 January 2010.