Eghrighri II by Bruce Onobrakpeya delves into the Urhobo myth of the rainbow, a tale layered with promise and peril. According to the story, anyone who could cut into a rainbow might uncover wealth and good fortune, but also risk unleashing misfortune, disease, and pestilence. This duality mirrors the ambiguity of life itself.
In this work, the legendary warrior Obrika is shown cutting into the rainbow with his cutlass, only to encounter demons, diseases, and ferocious creatures. Onobrakpeya renders their clash as an interconnected swirl of lines and forms—the rainbow, the warrior, and the tumultuous results of his action merging into a dynamic whole. The richly worked metal foil creates a lush, textured surface that heightens the drama, offering a fitting ground for this cosmic battle to play out.
The artist does not cast Obrika as a victim of desire but as a fierce protagonist, unafraid to confront an uncomfortable reality. The myth is both a meditation on fortune and misfortune—the lottery of existence—and a testament to resilience. The warrior is heroic not because he attains riches, but because he persists, battling against what emerges from the rainbow and striving to overcome it.