Seven Nigerian painters

7 min readJun 10, 2024

Njideka Akunyili Crosby

„I think the point I make in my work is that my home is Nigeria and the United States at the same time.“

Njideka Akunyili Crosby was Born in Enugu, Nigeria, in 1983, she is currently based in Los Angeles. She moved to the United States at the age of 16 in 1999. Her work focuses on everyday situations as well as historical, political, and personal references. She received her Master of fine arts from Yale in 2011 and since then exhibited at galleries in London, New York, and Los Angeles. In 2017 she became a MacArthur fellow.

What is the MacArthur Foundation?

The purpose of the program is to encourage artists to pursue their own creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations.The foundation awards fellowships directly to the individuals. Each fellowship comes with an award of $800,000 to the recipient, paid out in equal quarterly installments over five years.It’s a no strings attached“ award in support of the artist itself and not just a certain project.

https://www.davidzwirner.com/artists/njideka-akunyili-crosby

https://www.victoria-miro.com/artists/185-njideka-akunyili-crosby/

Adulphina Imuede

”Yes, the female form is my constant muse. I love women, I am constantly inspired by women all over and around me. You can never fully capture a woman’s emotions because she has a lot of hidden emotions stemming from society and her experiences.”

Adulphina Imuede is a writer, poet, and painter who in her work uses the female form as an important motive. She was born in Auchi but is originally from Agenebode, Edo State. Her interest in drawing stems from an early age. She received her degree in painting at the University of Lagos in 2016.

https://www.africanartwave.com/adulphina-imuede/

https://om234.art/collections/adulphina-imuede

Adeoluwa Oluwajoba

„My art is created in response to my interactions with my environment, places I’ve been, people I’ve met, interacted with, and things I’ve done.”

Adeoluwa Oluwajoba is a curator, artist, writer, and art critic. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Arts from the Obafemi Awolowo University with a major in Painting. He is based in Lagos, Nigeria.

https://artsandculture.google.com/story/next-up-meet-5-contemporay-artists-from-lagos/cwIyaS-dbB1oLA

https://www.citedesartsparis.net/en/adeoluwa-oluwajoba

Obi Chigozie

”My work touches on a lot of personal things. For example, being a woman, particularly a Nigerian woman, there are several expectations of us by society, several stereotypes, and much more. My work also touches on body image and acceptance, loneliness, depression, loss, all themes that have come up or been prominent in my life.”

Obi Chigozie is a Lagos-based artist who was born in 1997. She is a multi-dimensional visual artist who received her bachelor’s degree of Visual Arts from the Creative Arts department, at University of Lagos in 2017. Emotions play a big role in her work as an influence and inspiration.

https://arthouse-ng.com/artists/obi-chigozie/

https://thinkspaceprojects.com/artists/chigozie-obi/

Dennis Osadebe

”For me, the mask represents what it is to be Nigerian. I want to create work that is very true to my heritage. When I had to decide on the kind of mask that my characters would wear, it was very important to create something reflecting what’s happening today in Nigeria. I wanted it to be colorful and expressive. ”

Dennis Osadebe is an artist born in Lagos in 1991. He still lives and works in Lagos Nigeria. He is a self-taught artist that originally studied business management at Mary University, London as well as Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Warwick, Coventry. He started to make art full-time after his graduation.

https://www.artsy.net/artist/dennis-osadebe

https://www.koeniggalerie.com/collections/dennis-osadebe

Ndidi Emefiele

”I’m looking to a society that is more accepting of weakness,individuality, personal choices. One that is more human and less judgmental. A society that allows everyone of its own to thrive. I’m using these works to create a safe space. I’m also offering protection to whoever needs it.“

Ndidi Emefiele is a Nigerian artist born in 1987. She is based in North Hampton, UK. Her work is inspired by motives like cultural, gendered, and personal references. Her work often depicts a vision of strong women. Her work was exhibited widely both internationally and in the UK.

https://galleryrosenfeld.com/artists/45-ndidi-emefiele/overview/

Samson Bakare

„However, I’m not just limited to one style or genre of art: I am a multidisciplinary artist, and I try to be as versatile as possible. My work is also inspired by the people around me and the random things that I come across in my everyday life.“

Samson Bakare is a Nigerian multidisciplinary and visual artist who was born in 1993 and is based in Lagos. His artistic journey was inspired by his architecture father at a young age. He graduated from the School of Art, the Yaba College of Technology. Samson Bakare was trained under multiple artists like Abiodun Olaku and Raji Babatunde, Edosa Oguigo, and Ejoh Wallace. His work centers around black identities and values them in a contemporary and retrospective context. He often showcases black identities in historical scenes as well as portraits of African men and women with blank expressions. In 2018, he became a member of the Arts in Medicine Fellowship in Nigeria.