Our History

The New Culture Studios Ibadan

The New Culture Studios, a testament to the vision of Demas Nwoko. From humble origins of clay, granite, and laterite,
Nwoko’s personal studio for painting and sculpture blossomed into a haven for the artistic soul.
This narrative unfolds as a creative journey, where a life-size amphitheatre. carved into the hillside, became a dance floor for dusty dreams. What started as a makeshift theater grew roots, evolving into a permanent structure, breathing life into the very essence of artistic expression.
In a serendipitous tum, the struggling Mbari Artists and Writers Club found refuge within these walls.
The fusion birthed not just a physical relocation but a revival – an alchemy of creativity and collaboration.

The ink of a publishing house inscribed tales on paper, giving birth to the New Culture magazine in 1976, its pages a testament to the resilience of artistic spirit.
Within this evolving walls, a film laboratory was woven, adding the magic of cinematography to the symphony of arts. Demas Nwoko, a maestro in his own right, envisioned a cultural synthesis, where practitioners from diverse disciplines would dance in intimate harmony, their creations a collective ode to the beauty of existence.
Behold, the philosophy that breathes life into the New Culture Studios—a postgraduate haven where formal education finds a complement in the crucible of hands-on, artistic exploration.
Here, the demarcation between fine and popular arts dissolves, mirroring the seamless blend of tradition and contemporaneity that defines African culture.