The Zaria Arts Society, later called the Zaria Rebels, was formed on 9 October 1958 by a group of art students at the college led by Uche Okeke with the aim of "decolonizing" the visual arts as taught by expatriate Europeans.
Along with Uche Okeke, Aniakor was among the first Nsukka artists to develop an interest in uli, and his drawings and watercolors display a strong affinity to the system.
As a painter, Adenaike has said that he views himself as a successor to fellow Nsukka artists Uche Okeke and Chike Aniakor.
The exhibition included work by artists including Romare Bearden, Constantin Brâncuși, Renee Cox, Aaron Douglas, Walker Evans, Ellen Gallagher, David Hammons, Isaac Julien, Wifredo Lam, Ronald Moody, Wangechi Mutu, Chris Ofili, Uche Okeke, Pablo Picasso, Keith Piper, Tracey Rose and Kara Walker among others.