WHO IS VILLAGER?

VILLAGER (b.1999 in Lagos, Nigeria; based in Baltimore, MD), is a multi-disciplinary artist, whose work is centered around investigating humanity as a product of culture and social conditions through an Afro-diasporic lens. Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, and only immigrating to the United States in 2013, their work incorporates visual and material elements from their personal experiences in both the cultural landscapes of Nigeria and the US. Through their artistic practice, VILLAGER endeavors to scrutinize, deconstruct, and redefine the existential and paradoxical question of what it means to be a "contemporary African." VILLAGER occupies the space to challenge dominant or normative narratives surrounding social and cultural context, echoing a re-examination of consciousness and thought grounded in African knowledge systems and traditions. Their work is a revelation of how historical African art, cultural practices, and knowledge systems continue to inform and shape contemporary expressions and experiences. 

In 2020, they received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Chemistry at Towson University. VILLAGER  has already been included in various group exhibitions including BLAQ SHEEP, Superchief Gallery LA, Los Angeles, CA, AFROFUTURISM: 100 years after the Harlem Renaissance, Papermill Playhouse, Millburn, NJ, MOLASSES, THE ROUSE COMPANY FOUNDATION GALLERY at Howard Community College, Columbia, MD, TRUCE | The war in the world | The war within, Motor House, Baltimore, MD, Creative Freedom: Celebrating Black History Month, Chesapeake Arts Center, Brooklyn Park, MD, The Awakening, Max Gallery, Baltimore, MD, We Create By Being, Gallery 410, Baltimore, MD to name a few. In 2022, They had a debut solo exhibition, BUSH BOY at Chesapeake Arts Center and are scheduled for a solo exhibition ÀṢẸ at The Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower, Baltimore, MD in October 2024 as part of the highly received "Emerge Baltimore" series.

image by Erika 

more about me :)

I am formally trained as a Water Microbiologist and Environmental Researcher, receiving a B.S. in Environmental Science with a concentration in Chemistry and a minor in Chemistry from Towson University in 2020. My practice began in January 2022 during my second semester of graduate studies at UMBC studying Marine Estuary Environmental Science. During this time, I was lost in myself, mentally fatigued, and extremely drained- It felt like I living in the shell of my former self. I understood that I needed an outlet to communicate my evolving understanding of my humanity so on January 19th of that year, I sat down for 6 hours and painted my first ever painting titled "caged vessel", encouraging myself to engage in self-exploration and self-expression along the way. 8 months later, I chose to step away from my Master's program at UMBC to seek greater purpose through and for my work, establish a long-lasting studio practice, and develop a universal dialogue through my work. 


Truly, my art began as a way for me to EXIST in a world where I believed I was no longer. It granted me the opportunity to re-imagine my existence and begin to create the world I so much needed to exist within- that of the endless possibility of imagination, creativity, and humanity. My expressions of creativity continuously grant me the opportunity to reimagine my humanity and seek a greater purpose in existence. In the physical, my works are an extension of my body, mind, thoughts, and all aspects of my humanity. The deliberation & investigation of my purpose of existence which began when I was 15, is forever channeled in the present and evolves as I continue to develop this communication.

Currently, I am working on a painting series that follows my new investigation of capturing the essence of one’s spirit and intrinsic energy using cowries as a portal of gaze and object of corporeality called “ÀṢẸ  AESTHETICS”. The works are an intrinsic extension of ÀṢẸ, embodying the ancestral, spiritual, and metaphysical, inviting us to explore the unseen and hidden energies that resonate within our own inner and outer worlds. 

I currently live and work in Baltimore, MD with my partner and collaborator, Kehinde, where we both manage THE VILLAGE! STUDIO - a community-oriented studio space rooted in holding space for community- through open mics, community conversations and dialogues, movie nights and discussions, artist talks, workshops, book clubs, and culinary experiences.