The Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA), Pan-Atlantic University, in collaboration with Yenwa Gallery and the Myma Art Prize (MAP), is set to present What Is Given, the inaugural Myma Art Prize exhibition in honour of Dr. Myma Belo-Osagie, from September 27 to October 21, 2026.
First presented at Yenwa Gallery from June 13 to July 4, What Is Given features works by four emerging and early-career artists from Nigeria and Ghana – Omolola Coker, Emmanuel Ellis, Vincent Frimpong and Edward Prah.
The exhibition explores themes including inheritance, memory, materiality, identity and place, examining how artists reinterpret ideas, materials and experiences passed down to them.
The YSMA presentation expands on the original exhibition with additional works drawn from Dr. Myma Belo-Osagie’s private collection.
Curated by Ugonna Ibe-Ejiogu, Founder and Curatorial Director of Yenwa, the exhibition takes its title from a central question connecting the practices of the four artists: What do we do with what we have been given?
The exhibition considers how what is inherited may take the form of cloth, photographs, discarded materials, memories, rituals or places. Through painting, photography, sculpture and installation, the participating artists explore, transform and reinterpret these materials and experiences to create new meanings.
The YSMA presentation follows Museum Director Dr. Jess Castellote’s encounter with the exhibition during its inaugural presentation at Yenwa Gallery.
Castellote, who served on the inaugural Myma Art Prize judging panel, subsequently proposed that the exhibition be presented at YSMA to enable it to reach a broader audience within a university museum environment.
According to Castellote, the exhibition provides an opportunity to connect contemporary art with education, research and public dialogue.
“What struck me about What Is Given was not only the quality of the works, but the generosity of the questions the exhibition leaves with the viewer,” said Dr. Jess Castellote, Director of YSMA.
“The works invite us to think about inheritance, memory, material and identity, but also about what we choose to do with what we receive. I felt strongly that this was an exhibition that deserved to be encountered by a wider public, particularly within the context of a university museum where art can become a starting point for learning, inquiry and conversation.”
Castellote added that YSMA was pleased to collaborate with Yenwa and the Myma Art Prize to extend the exhibition’s reach to students and other audiences.
For YSMA, the presentation represents an extension of its commitment to creating platforms where contemporary art can serve as a tool for learning, research, critical thinking and public engagement.
The Museum will also complement the exhibition with educational programmes for university and secondary school students, offering younger audiences opportunities to engage with the artists, their works and the wider ideas explored in the exhibition.
At the centre of the exhibition is the story of Dr. Myma Belo-Osagie, whose decades-long passion for collecting Nigerian and Ghanaian art inspired the creation of the Myma Art Prize.
The prize was established by her children to mark her 70th birthday and to extend her philosophy of collecting, supporting artists and giving back into a structured platform for artist development.
Rather than functioning solely as an award, the Myma Art Prize incorporates artist development, mentorship, exhibition opportunities and a physical residency for the grand-prize winner.
Dr. Belo-Osagie has described the initiative as an extension of her personal collecting journey and a means of supporting a younger generation of West African artists.
The programme also seeks to contribute to the wider creative economy by supporting not only artists but also curators, gallerists, framers, transporters, insurers and other professionals who contribute to the African art ecosystem.
For Yenwa, the presentation at YSMA provides an opportunity for What Is Given to continue its journey beyond its first exhibition and engage new audiences.
“A prize is a particular kind of gift. It does not only reward work already made; it makes new work possible,” said Ugonna Ibe-Ejiogu, Founder and Curatorial Director of Yenwa.
“What Is Given grew from the artists’ different relationships with material, memory, inheritance and experience, but it also speaks to the larger philosophy behind the Myma Art Prize – that patronage should create conditions for artists to think, experiment, produce and be seen.”
Ibe-Ejiogu said bringing the exhibition to YSMA would allow its ideas to reach further while placing the works in conversation with students, researchers and audiences beyond its original presentation.
The exhibition reflects the broader ambition of the Myma Art Prize to move beyond collecting art to actively supporting the people and structures that sustain artistic practice.
In the inaugural catalogue, the Belo-Osagie family described the prize as an effort to build “the infrastructure West African art production has long deserved,” including stronger collector and curatorial networks and communities where artists can develop sustainable careers.
Junaid Belo-Osagie, who works closely with the Myma Art Prize team, said the presentation at YSMA represents an extension of the family’s intention in establishing the prize.
“My mother’s collection has always been about more than acquiring beautiful or important works; it has been about paying attention to artists and believing in the value of their practices, sometimes long before the wider world catches up,” said Junaid Belo-Osagie.
“The Myma Art Prize grew from that spirit of attention and support. We are pleased that What Is Given is now travelling to YSMA, where the exhibition can reach new audiences and, especially, younger people who are beginning to think about art, creativity and the possibilities of a career in the arts.”
The YSMA presentation will feature educational engagements for university and secondary school students, designed to encourage close observation, discussion and critical engagement with the exhibition and the practices of the four participating artists.
The activities form part of YSMA’s continuing commitment to using exhibitions as platforms for education and public learning.
At its core, What Is Given examines the relationship between receiving and responding – the materials, memories, images, identities and histories that precede us, and the possibilities that emerge when they are reinterpreted rather than accepted as fixed.
The exhibition invites audiences to consider what they have inherited, what they have made from it and what they may choose to give in return.
About the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art
The Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA) at Pan-Atlantic University is a Nigerian art institution committed to preserving and showcasing the country’s artistic heritage.
The Museum houses an extensive collection of artworks spanning different periods and offers exhibitions, educational programmes and other activities aimed at creating engaging experiences for visitors and contributing to Nigeria’s cultural landscape.
YSMA was voted Museum Opening of the Year by Apollo Magazine in 2020.
For more information about YSMA and its initiatives, visit the Museum’s official website.
