Artnovation unveils ‘The Bridge of Motion’ to link Africa, Europe through art, mobility

Artnovation, in partnership with Hybrid Motors Nigeria Limited, will unveil The Bridge of Motion, the 17th work in its Thread of Continents series, as part of the Artnovation: Echoes of Renaissance in the Hues of Africa exhibition in Milan, Italy.

The work will be unveiled during the exhibition’s opening ceremony on September 16, 2026, at the Fondazione Luciana Matalon Museum, marking a new phase in Artnovation’s ongoing cultural dialogue between Africa and Europe.

The Bridge of Motion explores the point at which “a thread becomes a bridge, and the bridge begins to move,” bringing together art, mobility, innovation, renewable energy and sustainable development.

According to Artnovation, the new work extends the narrative established by the first 16 pieces in the Thread of Continents series, which examine themes including memory, encounter, exchange, trade, connection, cooperation and the possibility of a shared future between Africa and Europe.

The choice of No. 17 is deliberate, evoking the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and broadening the artistic series into a discussion about how creativity can contribute to the future of mobility, energy and international collaboration.

Foluke Michael, Chief Curator of Artnovation, said the 17th work was intended to move the series beyond its original cultural narrative and into questions surrounding the future.

“The journey does not end at sixteen. No. 17 carries the story towards a new horizon, where ideas gather momentum, possibilities take shape, and the future begins to move,” she said.

Michael said The Bridge of Motion was not simply about a vehicle, but about examining what mobility could represent when creativity, renewable energy, sustainable development and innovation are considered together.

The concept also draws inspiration from the Renaissance, a period associated with the convergence of art, science, engineering, philosophy and human imagination. Echoes of Renaissance seeks to explore how that spirit can be reinterpreted in the 21st century through African creativity and European design and innovation.

For Africa, the project frames sustainable mobility, renewable energy and infrastructure as important elements of economic opportunity and development, while positioning Europe’s transition towards sustainable technology and international cooperation as a potential area for partnership.

Founder of Hybrid Motors Nigeria Limited, Jubril Arogundade, said the collaboration would bring mobility into a wider conversation involving art, culture, fashion, technology and innovation.

He said Hybrid Motors’ ambition extends beyond vehicle development to sustainable and indigenous mobility solutions for West Africa, alongside potential European technical, institutional and commercial collaboration.

Arogundade added that discussions were exploring possible links with areas associated with the EU Global Gateway, including sustainable transport and renewable energy, as well as European technology, expertise, institutional partnerships and sustainable financing.

He described the Milan unveiling as the beginning of a potential broader Africa-Europe conversation on sustainable mobility, with art serving as a platform for imagining what innovation and collaboration could achieve.

The project continues Artnovation’s Africa-Europe cultural engagement following AfroItalian Renaissance, which was launched in partnership with the Italian Consulate General in Lagos in December 2025.

The Echoes of Renaissance exhibition will officially open at 5:00 p.m. CEST on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at Fondazione Luciana Matalon, Foro Buonaparte 67, Milan. The exhibition, fashion programme and related dialogues will be open to the public from September 17 to 29, 2026.

The programme will bring together art, fashion, poetry, culture, innovation and enterprise around the broader question of what could emerge when Africa and Europe collaborate in designing the future.

For Artnovation, The Bridge of Motion represents that possibility: a meeting point where culture can lead into innovation, and where collaboration between two continents can become a platform for sustainable development and shared opportunity.