Nigerian Artist Creates Rotting Exhibit As Coronavirus Warning

Nigerian artist Olufela Omokeko carefully arranges fresh peppers on wooden boards hanging in a bare room.

Instead of providing spice in a meal, he wants them to encourage people to obey measures that will stop the spread of the coronavirus.

His pieces, comprising of red, yellow and green peppers mounted on boards and tomatoes hanging from nets, will rot during the lifespan of the exhibition in Lagos. The decay reflects the food wasted during lockdowns last year, said the 30-year-old artist.

“I created this art space as a reflection of the scarcity… and numerous challenges that we experienced at the early stage of the pandemic,” Omokeko said.

Lockdowns were imposed from late March until early May last year in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub and the capital, Abuja.

The restrictions, coupled with a ban on nationwide interstate travel, disrupted supply chains which led to widespread hunger, while food rotted in fields or at depots.

Source: Reuters