Wole Lagunju (b.1996 Oshogbo, Nigeria) is a contemporary Yoruba artist whose practice critiques the racial and social structures of the 19th century whilst evoking contemporary commentaries on power, femininity, and womanhood. His work is associated with Onaism, a contemporary art movement of the Ife Art School dedicated to reimagining the forms and philosophies of traditional Yoruba art and design. He often pairs this influence with a clash of diverse cultural notions exploring post- colonial hierarchies and hybridisation from the African continent.

Wole was awarded a Phillip Ravenhill Fellowship by UCLA in 2006, and a Pollock Krasner award in 2009. He currently lives in the United States of America, with his works included in the Denver Art Museum, St Louis Art Museum and the World Bank, amongst others.

“My paintings of Yoruba Gelede masks juxtaposed with classical and iconic Western imagery explore the notions of race, femininity, womanhood and sexuality. They are also meant to be contemporary redefinitions of traditional Yoruba visual art. Gelede (Ge means to ‘pet or tenderly deal with’; ele refers to a woman’s genitalia and de, ‘to soften them with gentleness’) is a male dance by which men celebrate women, their physical attributes, sacred powers and motherhood. I have chosen, therefore, to celebrate the masks by making visual compositions of ‘new’ Gelede masquerades dressed in the ceremonial regalia of the Western world. In doing this, I mean to critique, racial and cultural stereotypes and ideology. These are values and stereotypes that generate assumptions of a dominant cultural prerogative and singular historical perspective within issues of power, gender, and identity.” - Wole Lagunju

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2023
EXPO Chicago, Montague Contemporary, Chicago, United States of America

2022
‘Cut from The Same Cloth’, Ed Cross Gallery, London, United Kingdom
‘What Will You Do with Your Own Aje?’, Montague Contemporary, New York, United States of America

2020
‘We All Live Here’, The Gramophone Works, London, United Kingdom

2019
‘Wole Lagunju: Contemporary African Meets Traditional’, Payne Gallery, Moravian College, Pennsylvania, United States of America

2018
‘Yoruba Remixed’, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2024
EXPO Chicago, EBONY/CURATED, Chicago, United States of America
Investec Cape Town Art Fair, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa

2023
‘Reimagined Futures’ with Franck Kemkeng Noah, Franschhoek Creates, EBONY/CURATED, Franschhoek, South Africa
‘Africa Supernova’, Museum Kade, Amersfoort, Netherlands
Investec Cape Town Art Fair, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa

2022
Investec Cape Town Art Fair, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa

2021
'Stop, Listen!’, CFHILL, Stockholm, Sweden

2020
1-54 London, Montague Contemporary, London, United Kingdom
Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2020, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa

2019
AKAA (Also Known As Africa), Paris, France
'Diaspora’, New Ashgate Gallery, Surrey, United Kingdom
‘A Smaller Scale’, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa

2017
‘Recits d”Afrique’, La Galerie Africaine, Paris, France
‘Colourchart’, EBONY/CURATED, Cape Town, South Africa
‘Tempo, expo d’Art contemporain’, Cloitre des Billettes, Paris, France

2014
‘Opening Exhibition: Furious Flower Conference, Seeding the future of African American Poetry’,
James Madison University, Harrisonburg, United States of America
‘Wole Lagunju: African Diaspora Artist and Transnational Visuality’, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, United States of America

2011
‘Womanscape: Race, Gender and Sexuality in African Art’, University of Texas, Austin, United States of America

2009
‘Egungun: Diaspora Recycling’, University of Texas, Austin, United States of America

2008
‘Africa Now’, The World Bank Art Program, Washington DC, United States of America
‘Healing Beauty’, The Mizel Museum, Denver, United States of America
‘Art for Africa’, Juried Exhibition, The Emerson Centre for the Arts and Culture, Bozeman, United States of America

2007
‘African Artists Celebrating Ethiopian Millennium’, The Belvedere, Baltimore, United States of America
Mbari Art, Washington DC, United States of America

2006
‘Let’s Art: Nadine Guntert meets Africa’, Stein-und Holzskulpturen, Luzerne, Switzerland
‘The Art of Oshogbo’, Via Mundi Gallery, Atlanta United States of America

2005
Pan African Film and Arts Festival, Los Angeles, United States of America

2004
'Without Borders- Four Contemporary Artists’, Pan African University, Lagos, Nigeria

2002
Afrika Heritage, Lagos, Nigeria
‘Linkages’, Gallery 1 2 3 4, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
TotalfinaElf Art Exhibition, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

2000
‘Visions and Sensibilities’, Signature Art Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria

1997
‘Best of Ife’, Goethe Institut, Lagos, Nigeria

1995
Sammlung fur Neue Afrikanische Kunst, Afrika Haus Freiberg
‘Ona – Best of Ife’, Signature Art Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria

1993
‘Best of Ife’, Signature Art Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria
‘Linkages’, Gallery 1 2 3 4, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

EDUCATION

1986
BFA Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria


2004
Philip L Ravenhill Fellowship, UCLA, Los Angeles, United States of America

PUBLICATIONS

2023
Africa Supernova. 2023. Kunsthal Kade, Amersfoort. ISBN 978 9 490153 38 0

PRESS

2020
Shurvell, J. (2020) 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, the only international art fair to open in London this autumn [Online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanneshurvell/2020/10/09/1-54-contemporary-african-art-fair--the-only-international-art-fair-to-open-in-london-this-autumn/?sh=b055c0c2579d.

Campbell, N. (2020) An Art Advisor’s Guide to Collecting during London’s Fair Week [Online] Available at: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-art-advisors-guide-collecting-londons-fair-week

Herviaux, O. (2020) A Paris, la maison Piasa organise une importante vente d’art contemporain africain. [Online] Available at: https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2020/06/22/importante-vente-d-art-contemporain-africain-a-paris_6043777_3212.html

Anderson, K. (2020) 5 Contemporary African artists to know about Now [Online] Available at: https://www.christiesrealestate.com/blog/5-contemporary-african-artists-to-know-about-now/

Fatima, M. (2020) Wole Lagunju: The Empire Paints Back. [Online] Available at: https://thecuratormag.com/painting-back-to-the-empire/

1-54. (2020) The 1-54 Studio Visit Series with Wole Lagunju [Online] Available at: https://www.1-54.com/the-1-54-studio-visit-series-wole-lagunju/

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri, United States of America
African First Collection, Jaffa, Israel
Collection Leridon, Paris, France
Denver Art Museum, Colorado, United States of America
World Bank, Washington DC, United States of America
Foundation Frances, New Jersey, United States of America
Marres Huis voor Hedendaagse Cultuur, Netherlands