The title of the exhibition references the Nigerian custom of prayers said on behalf of someone who is about to undertake a long journey. The expression has its origins in the late 19th century when it referred to the prayers for missionaries who were travelling to remote parts of the world. For the artist, the phrase is something that sums up his experience of traveling, something that comes with a sense of trepidation but that is also tinged with hope and excitement. 

Nwadiogbu says of the exhibition, ‘Journey Mercies is an exhibition that expresses my experience of traveling to London, it highlights the struggles and joys, gains and losses of migration. This is particularly applicable to those of us with dreams, values and hope who flee our countries due to the insecurity, lack of infrastructure, and scarcity -- all familiar struggles to Africans and other people of colour. But the stacked structures we build are intact. The communities are rich with diversity and beauty.’

The works in the exhibition were created during Nwadiogbu's time as a resident artist at The Bomb Factory Art Foundation. Evolving out of a painting show, the installation is a collective monument to the artist’s encounters with his fellow travellers.