Lagos, Nigeria – Nigerian artist Ighiwiyisi Jacobs presents Bloodlines, a new solo exhibition on the 27th of July, 2025.  Through a series of introspective works, Jacobs tackles the cosmologies of memory, time, and ancestral presence. The paintings, rendered mostly in indigo – a colour derived from nature and used to draw lines and symbols for adornment and communication in Africa – invite solemn contemplation. They guide the viewer on a journey through past lives, present realities, and future dreams.  

Jacobs’ works tackle the belief that humans are products of the people that came before them and creators of subsequent descendants. This creates an unbreakable chain through which life, knowledge, strength, courage, and wealth pass from one generation to the next. “… Coursing through your vein is incalculable wealth,” says Jacobs, “An unbroken line of survival that produced you and those that came before you.” 

The collection depicts portraiture, abstract paintings, and landscape works inspired by Jacobs’ lineage, life experiences, and history – drawing from both joyful and painful events. The collection stands as a reminder that every individual is a living archive of many lives and histories.

“In encountering these works, viewers become participants in an ongoing conversation that began long before their arrival and will continue long after they leave,” says Ugonna Ibe, curator of the exhibition. “The blood remembers what empires tried to erase. It carries forward what cannot be spoken but insists on being seen. Here, in the quiet of deep indigo, we remember we were never alone – and are asked to consider how we, too, will be remembered.” 

​