Igbo Rising: A Performance of Nigerian Traditional Music in Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s Exhibition in New York

Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Ejuna na-aga, ọ kpụlụ nkọlikọ ya; New Haven (Enugu) in New Haven (CT), 2022 (detail)

In celebration of the artist’s first solo exhibition in New York, Njideka Akunyili Crosby and David Zwirner have invited Nigerian traditional musician Gerald Eze, of Ichoku Academy, to perform in the exhibition. His music adds an additional dimension to Akunyili Crosby’s work, while also expanding the public understanding and preservation of Nigerian Igbo culture.

Wednesday, October 4th, Performances at 6 and 7 PM
New York | 519 West 19th Street

RSVP to join us for the musical performance and visit Njideka Akunyili Crosby: Coming Back to See Through, Again through October 28, 2023.

Installation view, Njideka Akunyili Crosby: Coming Back to See Through, Again, David Zwirner, New York, 2023

About Gerald Eze and Ichoku Academy:

Eze founded Ichoku Academy in 2018 as an organization devoted to the promotion and preservation of Igbo music. Providing instruction to children and adults, the academy seeks to conserve traditional folk forms and instrumentation, while developing Igbo musical culture to meet modern needs and creative expression.

In his music, Eze not only excavates endangered Igbo musical instruments and traditions, but he also uses his extensive knowledge of contemporary music and theory to reinterpret these traditions. This textured reimagining of style and contemporizing of tradition resonates with Akunyili Crosby’s artistic practice. “Ichoku Academy’s music is culturally unique and without their visit, this style of music cannot easily be heard or experienced in the United States. What they create with sound mirrors what I am doing through visual language,” says Akunyili Crosby.