…As group exhibition opens with excitement
On July 13, 2025, the Nigerian visual art community, especially lovers of art, witnessed what may rightly be tagged as the anticipated exhibition of the year.
That day marked the opening of ‘Black Figuration Is Alive and Well’, an exciting group exhibition, which was being presented by O’DA Art Gallery at its #10 Sir Samuel Manuwa Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, location.
The exhibition, which runs from July 13 – August 9, 2025, at the Lagos-based contemporary art gallery is worth seeing for many reasons.
First, and reflecting the title, it is a powerful group exhibition that reasserts the presence, complexity, and creative sovereignty of Black identity in contemporary visual art.
In a global climate that questions the relevance of Black portraiture, the show offers a firm and vibrant response: to our faces, our stories, and our visions matter, now more than ever.
Secondly, it features some of Nigeria’s gifted hands in the visual art scene.
Again, having 16 of such gifted hands in one exhibition is mind-blowing and simply a show of creative ingenuity and healthy rivalry among the participating artists through their respective works.
The featured artists are: Reuben Ugbine, Djakou Kassi Nathalie, Mobolaji Ogunrosoye, Orry Shenjobi, Lakin Ogunbanwo, Anthony Nsofor, Isaac Emokpae, Joseph Ogbeide, Soji Adesina, Chika Idu, Olajide Ajayi, Taiye Idahor, Stephen Price, Simon Ojeaga, Opeyemi Olukotun, and Yinka Bernie.
Of course, the above represent top guns in the visual art world, amid world- acclaimed creative ingenuity, sought-after works, and among most exhibited at home and abroad.
From Reuben Ugbine, Isaac Emokpae, Chika Idu, Taiye Idahor, to Anthony Nsofor and others are combined decades of experience, many exciting works and huge impact on the growth of Nigeria’s creative industry, particularly visual art.
As well, the artists, individually and collectively are waiting to enthrall visitors with the breathtaking works at the exhibition.
At the exhibition, Ruben Ugbine and Djakou Kassi Nathalie are reinvigorating African sculpture with references to spirituality, heritage, and surreal form.
On their parts, Mobolaji Ogunrosoye, Orry Shenjobi and Lakin Ogunbanwo are deconstructing photography and collage to explore memory, beauty, and layered identity.
Also, Anthony Nsofor, Isaac Emokpae, and Joseph Ogbeide are using linework and abstraction to examine family, ancestry, and cultural preservation, while Soji Adesina, Chika Idu and Olajide Ajayi (LA Draws) dive into Afro-surrealism to interrogate dreams, technology, and diasporic memory.
Also, at the exhibition, Taiye Idahor and Stephen Price are offering emotionally textured works that reflect on freedom, femininity, and inherited memory.
But Simon Ojeaga’s rhythmic “fractellations” evokes the meditative, emotional quality of Yinka Bernie’s soulful soundscapes.
For Opeyemi Olukotun, what matters are his poignant realist portraits that honour everyday Black life with dignity and empathy.
Moreover, the 16 artists work together to demonstrate that Black figuration is not static or reductive, it is expansive, experimental, and urgent. Far from fading, it continues to evolve as a vital force of cultural commentary and self-affirmation.
Speaking on the ongoing show, Obida Obioha, curator of the exhibition said, “… the ongoing prominence of figuration in Black and African art stands not as aesthetic repetition, but as an urgent political and cultural gesture—a reclaiming of presence, history, and imaginative sovereignty.”
Once, ‘Black Figuration Is Alive and Well’, which commenced with an opening reception on Sunday July 13, will run until August 9, 2025, opening from Tuesday to Saturday from 11am – 6pm.
O’DA is a Contemporary Art Gallery based in Lagos, Nigeria. Established in 2021, we specialize in the work of Contemporary Art and design from across the African continent and its diaspora.
Bridging the gap between local and international audiences, our gallery is committed to championing mid-career and established artists, whilst celebrating multi-faceted designers who explore a wide range of themes such as; identity, technology, political commentary, social consciousness, and environmental change.
With “Serenity” at the epicentre of our gallery vision, we strive to showcase engaging exhibitions by fusing art and interior design to create an immersive environment for our audiences. With a continuous program of sublime exhibitions, installations, and performances, the gallery aims to foster global partnerships, expand a gallery residency program and welcome art connoisseurs to contemporary West African art practices.
