Aunty’s is a limited sculpture collection by Anthony Azekwoh, released in collaboration with Afropolitan.
We are placing 200 sculptures from the collection.
Acquisition is by application only.
This is not a traditional purchase. Each piece is placed intentionally.
Applications can be submitted here:
https://formless.ai/c/q1GB9jAzOWTr
Applications to acquire an Aunty’s sculpture are now open. Details in the description.
https://formless.ai/c/q1GB9jAzOWTr
In this episode of The Afropolitan Podcast, we sit down with Anthony Azekwoh, a Nigerian visual artist and sculptor redefining how African memory, culture, and identity are preserved through art.
This conversation introduces The Aunty’s Sculpture Collection, a collaboration between Afropolitan and Anthony Azekwoh. The project is rooted in reclaiming African history after centuries of cultural theft, beginning with the looting of the Benin Bronzes in 1897. Rather than waiting for restitution, this episode explores what it means to rebuild African memory through ownership, craft, and contemporary creation.
Anthony breaks down his creative process, from sketching and digital sculpting to producing physical sculptures in Nigeria using bronze, marble dust, and fiberglass. He reflects on the role of “aunties” as cultural archivists, the importance of joy and celebration in African storytelling, and why African homes can become modern museums.
The conversation also goes deeper into Anthony’s personal journey. He speaks candidly about leaving university, navigating religious institutions, financial instability, NFT booms and crashes, payment barriers for African creatives, and what it took to rebuild after hitting financial rock bottom. This is a rare, unfiltered look at what it means to build art, business, and legacy from Africa, without permission.
This episode is about art, money, faith, power, culture, risk, and responsibility.
It is about playing long games, restoring memory, and creating work that outlives you.
Welcome to The Afropolitan Podcast, where African stories are documented with honesty, depth, and pride.
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Book 1:1 with Eche - https://convo.vip/echeemole
Book 1:1 with Chika - https://convo.vip/chikauwazie
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Convo by Afropolitan – Book 1-on-1 calls with Africa’s boldest thinkers
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0:00 – Introduction
0:22 – Introducing The Aunties Sculpture Collection
0:37 – The looting of the Benin Bronzes and cultural erasure
1:14 – Why African art equals memory and power
1:32 – Why aunties are the original African archivists
2:07 – Anthony Azekwoh on joy, celebration, and weddings
2:52 – Turning memory into sculpture
3:03 – Breaking African form into iconic shapes
4:02 – How an idea becomes a sculpture
5:24 – Making sculptures in Nigeria instead of outsourcing
6:05 – African homes as modern museums
6:53 – Slowing down to create work that lasts
7:58 – Seeing African artifacts for the first time in European museums
8:44 – Reclaiming African philosophy through art
9:48 – What the sculptures should make people feel
10:43 – Connecting Africans and the diaspora through culture
12:02 – Playing long-term games with cultural legacy
12:32 – Where Anthony’s work fits in African art history
13:45 – Restoring African memory through ownership
14:28 – Leaving university and choosing art
15:46 – Life inside religious institutions and control
17:36 – Financial instability, independence, and survival
20:05 – Breaking into the art world without permission
24:46 – Monetising art through prints and digital work
35:44 – NFTs, crypto, and the financial awakening
39:02 – Why global payments fail African creatives
41:18 – PayPal, blocked accounts, and financial exclusion
45:29 – Taking risks that almost ended everything
49:03 – Losing money, rebuilding, and starting from minus
52:00 – Clearing debt and rebuilding momentum
53:10 – Is Web3 dead or evolving?
57:09 – The realities behind NFT wealth
1:03:17 – The real business of art in Africa
1:05:45 – Loneliness, independence, and building differently
1:09:30 – Rapid fire questions
1:13:45 – What legacy Anthony Azekwoh wants to leave
1:15:22 – Gatekeeping in the art world
1:21:23 – Who should be on Afropolitan next
Learn the strategies behind tech and crypto within the African diaspora. We demystify the pathways to limitless value creation within these emerging technologies and the communities around them.
