“Onye Punuka” features the head of a female figure with braided hair, adorned with a colourful ‘akwete'(Igbo fabric) cap and neck beads. Two baskets connected by rope dangle from both sides of her head, symbolising the baskets commonly used among women in African societies for trading. Her eyes remain watchful and alert, surveying her surroundings with awareness. On the left side of the artwork, a doughnut shape bears the Igbo phrase “Uwa bu ahia,” meaning “Life is a marketplace.” The background showcases a black-and-white drawing created through the maximisation of negative space, a technique characteristic of traditional Uli artists. This backdrop is richly populated with trade motifs, icons, graphs, charts all rendered in Uli symbolic motif style, including the ‘Ise Oji’ motif – symbolic of the 4 days of the week – Eke, Orie, Afo and Nkwo!
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