“Every square meter in Benin City has an artist,” Victor Ehikhamenor said with a laugh. He was talking about the capital of Edo, the Nigerian State, which is famed as a historical, cultural and artistic heritage center. “Every family” in the city, he continued, has an artist. “I can stand by that statement.”Sitting in his office in the Lagos space of Angels and Muse, the nonprofit art organization he founded in 2018, the Nigerian-American artist sounded like a proud son of the state where he was born. Edo is part of the ancient Benin Kingdom, which is internationally known for its Benin Bronzes and has been at the center of conversations about restitution. These days, it is also becoming known for something else: its flourishing art ecosystem.The day before, Ehikhamenor had just returned from Benin City, where he had recently attended the inaugural edition of the Black Muse Art Festival, a five-day event organized by his nonprofit that brought together artists, curators and cultural practitioners across Nigeria, Africa, and its diaspora to celebrate African art, culture, and community. Under the name “Let the Forest Dance,” the festival’s theme took its inspiration from Wole Soyinka’s play A Dance of the Forests.Held at the Black Muse Sculpture Park, an initiative run by Ehikhamenor that is described as Nigeria’s first artist-led sculpture park, the festival featured work by Olanrewaju Tejuoso, Ayobami Ogungbe, Uzor Ugoala, Kelly Omodamwen, Seidougha Linus Eyimiegha (Mr. Danfo), David Alabo and students of the University of Benin in the Renee Mboya–curated exhibition “Today, Tomorrow, the Moon Will Still Be.” Also in the park is the Ázágbà Pavilion, a towering bamboo structure designed by architect-in-residence James Inedu-George featuring Ehikhamenor’s stained-glass windows.Guests seen by ARTnews at the festival included Hannah O’Leary, Sotheby’s senior adviser on modern and contemporary African art; Amanda M. Maples, curator of African art at the New Orleans Museum of Art; Dolly Kola-Balogun, the founder of Abuja-based Retro Africa gallery; and Peju Oshin, most recently an associate director at Gagosian.“Every square meter in Benin City has an artist,” says artist Victor Ehikhamenor.Courtesy Angels and Muse and Victor EhikhamenorThe festival’s programming highlights included a bronze-making workshop; performances by students of the Department of Theatre Arts at the University of Benin; an event called “See Benin, Feel Benin,” which was described as an immersive tour of historic and cultural centers in the city; the Black Muse Patrons Art Prize; and the launch of the Àkòròlé Residency, for supporting mid-career and established practitioners.The park and festival were years in the making; they have a “symbolic importance,” said Ehikhamenor, who added that he “always wanted to do something” in the city where he was born and which inspires his practice. (He relocated from America to Lagos in 2008.) Ehikhamenor even showed ARTnews a 2009 document he had prepared for the then governor of Benin but was unable to deliver because Ehikhamenor couldn’t personally hand it over to him. It wasn’t until 15 years ago, however, when Ehikhamenor bought the land that would become the sculpture park and the venue for the Black Muse Art Festival that he could start realizing his vision.Roli O’tsamaye, programs director of Angels and Muse, said the park aims to engage the public, help grow interest in the state’s art history, and to “resensitize” locals—and Nigerians in general—about the need for nature and environmental conservation. Indigenous plants that are at the risk of going extinct have been planted in the park, with plans for more plants to engage the public on the need for conservation.The launch of the Black Muse Sculpture Park and the inaugural edition of the Black Muse Art Festival coincided with what was supposed to be preview events for the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), which were abruptly ended due to protests at its Benin City premises. In a statement, the museum said the unrest “appeared to stem from disputes between the previous and current administrations,” adding “while MOWAA was mentioned in the wider context of those grievances—alongside other development projects—we wish to emphasize that MOWAA is an independent, non-profit institution, of which the former governor has no interest, financial or otherwise.” After the protests, the museum delayed the public of opening of its campus, without specifying a new inauguration date.Aerial view of the new Museum of West African Art in Benin City, Nigeria.Photo Tolulope Sanus/Courtesy MOWAAMore than five years in the making, the 15-acre campus will include a research and education institute (the MOWAA Institute), a contemporary art exhibition space (the Rainforest Gallery), a boutique hotel (the Art Guesthouse) and a performance venue (the Artisans’ Hall, among other facilities) when it is fully completed in 2028. Before the protests, I was among the guests who attended a tour of the Atrium, MOWAA’s inaugural historical collections display, which includes work by various generations of artists from West Africa. Philip Ihenacho, MOWAA’s executive director, also showed off the exhibition “Nigeria Imaginary: Homecoming,” an iteration of the country’s well-received pavilion at the 2024 Venice Pavilion. (Aindrea Emelife, MOWAA’s curator of modern and contemporary art, curated both shows.) Alongside artists such as Yinka Shonibare, Precious Okoyomon and Toyin Ojih Odutola, who presented work in Venice, “Nigeria Imaginary” now also includes artists such as Kelani Abass and Modupeola Fadugba, hinting at a desire to expand the visibility of the Nigerian scene even further.The festivities continued later, at the second edition of the Benin Art Fair. Curated by Jekami Adetiloye and organized by the Benin City–based Thought Pyramid Art Centre, the fair featured over 100 artworks by local artists across multiple mediums. Adetiloye praised Benin City’s art scene for its “experimental” artists. “They are trying not to let go of the [state’s] artistic heritage,” Adetiloye said, noting that they are “adding a blend of contemporary touch to it.”Osaru Obaseki, a Nigerian artist born in the Edo State whose work considers the preservation of her culture through materials such as red earth sourced from Benin City, described Benin City’s scene as being “more culture grounded.” Obaseki, who won a prize for her installation at the Black Muse Arts Festival, said that Benin City’s scene isn’t as vibrant as Lagos’s, but that it was gaining “traction” through initiatives such as MOWAA, Black Pyramid Art Centre and the Benin Art Fair, a view that was echoed by Adetiloye, the curator of the 2025 edition of the fair.The Black Muse Residency, which wants to “decentralize the focus of the art community.”Courtesy Angels and Museum and Victor EhikhamenorThat the art scene in Benin City is rising at all is a sign of success, however. O’tsamaye, the Programs Director of Angels and Muse, told ARTnews that the non-profit’s Black Muse Residency initiative is working to “decentralize the focus of the art community” from Lagos to other parts of Nigeria. Now, they are focusing on building the necessary infrastructure including facilities that can accommodate up to 15 residents at a time to help the growth of the Benin City art scene.Unlike other art scenes, Benin City’s generally doesn’t rate success on how often work sells or how much someone pays for them but rather by how “creative you are,” Ehihkamenor said. “If your work is not strong enough, people are not going to take a look at it because you are competing among the most brilliant artists that this country has ever had.”