Leonard "Soldier" Iheagwam: When The Saints Go Marching
Leonard Iheagwam has suffused Incubator with an air of the sacred, so that upon entering one feels as if they are stepping into a place of worship. Best known by his public moniker Soldier, the Nigerian multidisciplinary artist gazes determinedly at issues like immigration politics and the impact of war, while relating heartfelt personal stories of family, spirituality and self-discovery. When the Saints Go Marching is the result of a searching journey into his Igbo identity – a predominantly Christian group from the south of Nigeria – expressed through contemporary devotional paintings, drawing, sound installation and abstracted mixed-media works.
Figures of personal and cultural significance – from his father to boxing champion Richard Ihetu – are exalted in acrylic paint, gold leaf, etching and dry pigment, assuming haloed forms that gesture to the chiaroscuro saints of the Renaissance. The artist has also used the show as means of unearthing Igbo traditions, such as the swirling Uli artworks of the Nsukka group, which he has warmly reinterpreted in sunset shades of orange and red. Elsewhere, imposing monochromatic mixed-media works see hundreds of tiny soldier figurines march in disorderly formations. These pieces reflect on the violence of the Biafran war, which saw the loss of thousands of Igbo and millions more displaced in the late 1960s. Softly reverberating through the space, a sound installation created with artists Space Afrika and Obiekwe blends Nigerian hymnal music with ambient sounds, further offering up the exhibition as a place to contemplate the meaning of idols, identity and loss – a place of communion.
Born the son of a priest in Nigeria, Iheagwam’s formative years were shaped by the communities found in the church and Lagos’ skateboarding scene. The artist ran away from home at 16, selling his drawings in the city to get by while forming multidisciplinary skate crew Motherlan with friends Onyedi Iriele and Olaolu Slawn. After gaining a place at University of Westminster, Iheagwam moved to London, where he has already established himself as a tenacious force in the city’s creative world. Beyond paint on canvas, his materials range from military surplus to skateboards, while his references roam freely between the worlds of American pop culture, African histories and religious iconography. His output is already prolific, ranging from eye-catching fashion collaborations with brands like Louis Vuitton and Nike, to soul-bearing personal works in performance, painting and sculpture.
Charged with a self-sprung authenticity, Iheagwam‘s work transcends borders and the limits of medium, inviting urgent dialogue on subjects at the core of the human experience. When the Saints Go Marching is the artist’s solo debut and his first showing as Leonard Iheagwam.
