What We Carry: Haneefah Adam’s Intimate Exploration of Memory and Meaning at Didi Museum

From May 16th to 18th, 2025, multidisciplinary artist Haneefah Adam held a compelling three-day pop-up exhibition and open studio titled What We Carry at Didi Museum in Lagos, presented by Adegbola Art. The exhibition wove together themes of memory, transformation, and cultural storytelling through sculpture, installation, and illustration. More than a showcase of finished works, What We Carry invited viewers into the raw, evolving process of creation—offering an intimate look at the emotional labor, inherited traditions, and personal narratives that shape Adam’s distinctive artistic voice.

Installation image from 'What We Carry' at Didi Museum in Lagos | Courtesy of the Artist

Art Report Report: “What We Carry” explores memory, transformation, and cultural storytelling. How did these themes come together for you, and what was the emotional or conceptual starting point for this body of work?

Haneefah Adam: The initial spark came from a personal place, where I was reflecting on the emotional, cultural, and often invisible things we hold onto as women, mothers, and artists. I began to think about memory not just as something we recall, but as something we carry in our bodies, our rituals, and even in the objects we pass down. Transformation then emerged as a natural response—how those memories evolve, how we reinterpret them, and how they continue to shape our identities. Cultural storytelling has always been the thread tying it all together in my practice. With this body of work, I wanted to explore how stories live not just in words, but in stitches, steel, fabric, and found materials.

Q: This exhibition invited the audience into both the outcome and the process. What motivated your decision to include the open studio experience, and how does it shift the relationship between artist and viewer?

Adam: The open studio format was a deliberate choice to dismantle the wall that often exists between artist and audience. I’ve always been interested in the “how” behind a piece, not just the finished product. By inviting people into the process—the mess, the layering—I hope to humanize the act of creation and make it feel more accessible. It becomes less about perfection and more about presence. It’s also an act of trust and a way of saying, “This is what it really looks like to carry an idea into form.” I think it invites a more intimate and empathetic connection between the viewer and the work.

Q: Your use of sculpture, installation, and illustration invites a multi-sensory experience. How do you think these forms work together to evoke memory and transformation?

Adam: Each medium carries a unique texture and weight. Sculpture allows me to literally shape memory into something tangible. Installation offers space for immersion, letting the viewer step into the narrative. Illustration, especially in its delicacy and flatness, contrasts that by offering a quieter kind of intimacy. When combined, they create layers of engagement—visual, tactile, and emotional. Much like memory itself, which is rarely linear or single-sensory, these forms come together to echo the fragmented, transformative nature of how we remember and how we change.

Q: What role does vulnerability play in sharing unfinished work or allowing people into your creative process during the exhibition?

Adam: Vulnerability is at the core of this exhibition. Sharing unfinished work is like opening a diary that’s still being written. It requires courage, but it also creates room for conversation, relatability, and connection. When people see that art doesn’t arrive fully formed—that it’s a living, evolving process—it demystifies the experience and invites them to reflect on their own processes of becoming. Vulnerability becomes a bridge, not a weakness.

Installation image from 'What We Carry' at Didi Museum in Lagos, Featuring Haneefah Adam | Courtesy of the Artist

Q: Cultural storytelling is central to your practice. How do you navigate honoring tradition while also transforming or reinterpreting it in contemporary ways?

Adam: For me, honoring tradition means understanding its roots—why something was done, what it symbolized, and how it shaped identity. I see tradition as a living language, one that can evolve and stretch while still retaining its essence. In my work, I reinterpret traditional forms and materials—like embroidery or cultural motifs—not to erase them, but to engage with them critically and personally. I often use them in unexpected ways to open up dialogue around identity, history, and innovation.

Q: What do you hope visitors will carry with them—literally or metaphorically—after engaging with this exhibition and your evolving creative process?

Adam: I hope they carry a deeper appreciation for the unseen—the emotional labor behind creation, the quiet experiences and behaviors that shape a life, the ties we have in everyday objects. More than anything, I want them to walk away feeling more connected to their own stories and the weight and beauty of what they carry. Whether it’s a newfound curiosity, a sense of validation, or simply the memory of being part of something unfolding, I hope the experience lingers.