Awon Iya Wa Builds Nations by Tenjin Ikeda, 2019, lino cut, 40 x 30 inches. On view in the Walsh Gallery at Seton Hall University.

(SOUTH ORANGE, NJ) -- South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) and Seton Hall University are Offering Companion Art Exhibits Through Spring — "Contemporary African Spirituality in Art." The exhibit at Seton Hall University's Walsh Gallery speaks to what cultural practices have been mixed, juxtaposed and collided with ideas, themes, materiality and techniques that are both African and contemporary by African and African diaspora artists.

Curated by Atim Annette Oton, this exhibition examines the transformation of spirituality  through seven key themes: Altars, Rituals and Prayer; Healing, Protection and Symbols; Faith and Intuition; Family, Roots, Community, Freedom and Power; Protest, Revolution, Justice and Celebration; God, Goddess and Constructing Identities; and Present, The Future and Liberation. This interdisciplinary exhibition brings together multimedia art  to present a thesis on Contemporary African Spirituality using art practices and programming to visualize these ideas.

The exhibit is on display until Monday, May 20, 2024. The Walsh Gallery at Seton Hall University is located at 400 S. Orange Avenue in South Orange, New Jersey.

No Weapon Formed Against Me Shall Prosper by Tokie Rome Taylor, 2022, Cynotype on cotton, variable edition, 34 x 24 inches. On view in the Walsh Gallery at Seton Hall University.

Artists include: Seyi Adebanjo, Ron Baker, Vladimir Cybil Charlier, Digi Chivetta, Elvira Clayton, Willie Cole, Antoinette Ellis-Williams, Maurice Evans, Ricardo Osmondo Francis, Geraldine Gaines, Toka Hlongwane, Tenjin Ikeda, Damien Jélaine, Ben F. Jones, brandon king, Grace Kisa, Iyaba Ibo Mandingo, Cassandra Martin, Don Miller, Data Oruwari, Komikka Patton, Dr. Fahamu Pecou, Rosy Petri, Ransome, Sachi Rome, Tokie Rome-Taylor, Erik Olivera Rubio, Ghislaine Sabiti.

The exhibit at South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) explores cultural practices that have been mixed, juxtaposed, and collided with ideas, themes, materials, and techniques, both African and Modern, by African and African diaspora artists in New Jersey and surrounding areas. Curated by Atim Annette Oton, it examines the transformation of spirituality from the lens of visual artists.

Archer/Shaman: Ochossi, 2022 by Cassandra Martin, Mixed media: deer antler shed, wood, iron, glass, feathers (ethically sourced), cloth, 22 x 9 1/4 inches. On display at SOPAC.

The exhibit was curated by Atim Annette Oton, a Nigerian-born, American and British-educated designer turned curator.  She founded and is curator of the Harlem-based Calabar Gallery, which showcases contemporary African Artists and African Diaspora artists globally.

She has been the African Art Curator for Amref Health Africa ArtBall for the past 4 years, which honored artists Wangechi Munu, El Anatsui, Toyin Ojih Odutola, and Zanele Muholi. Oton has also served as curator for the Jersey City Theater Center and as Curator for Community Engagement at the Bronx: Africa exhibition at Longwood Gallery.

The exhibit is open now through April 7. South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) is located at One SOPAC Way in South Orange, New Jersey.

Black People, Cotton and Rice Project, 2023 by Elvira Clayton, dyed-osnaburg, cotton bolls, plastic tubing, sequin, jute, hand-woven, 83x20x5 inches. On display at SOPAC.