VILLAGER (b. A. Adekunle Adaranijo in Lagos, Nigeria) is a Nigerian-born Transdisciplinary Artist, Cultural Producer, and African Spirituality Practitioner whose explores the intersections of post-colonial identity, material intelligence, and ancestral/indigenous knowledge production through a spiritual, anthropological, and material-based inquiry that uncovers and interprets the sublime, intangible forces that shape the evolution of culture, identity, consciousness, and belonging.  VILLAGER's work spans across painting, collage, sculpture, printmaking, photography, installation, performance, curation, and cultural facilitation, in an interconnected ritual of honoring and remembering Indigenous Yorùbá knowledge systems, visual & material culture, and African spiritual technologies and philosophies.

VILLAGER's practice is heavily influenced by their migration from Lagos, Nigeria, to the U.S. in 2013. Although originally formally trained as a Water Microbiologist and Environmental Researcher, earning a B.S. in Environmental Chemistry from Towson University, VILLAGER stepped away from their Master's program in Marine Estuary Environmental Science at UMBC in 2022 to establish a more focused and intentional studio practice. Their personal experiences and sensitivity to the richness of visual and material culture in both social and cultural landscapes of the U.S and Nigeria presented the artist with an opportunity to continuously invest in the preservation of their ancestral history through anthropological research, storytelling, mythology, personal history, and creative exploration. 

VILLAGER has been the subject of solo exhibitions (O)KAN: recent works by VILLAGER (2025), ÀṢẸ: Embodying the Divine (2024), and  BUSH BOY! (2022) in Baltimore, MD. VILLAGER's work has also been exhibited in numerous group exhibitions both stateside and internationally including, Sou(l): Mostra de Arte Afro-Diaspórica, Artspace Vigidal, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Diasporic Crossing, Southside Contemporary, Richmond, VA, BLAQ SHEEP, Superchief Gallery LA, Los Angeles, CA, AFROFUTURISM: 100 years after the Harlem Renaissance, Papermill Playhouse, Millburn, NJ to name a few. VILLAGER has also been commissioned for performances at The Peale Museum, THE ROUSE COMPANY FOUNDATION GALLERY, Creative Alliance, and Maryland Art Place.

VILLAGER's work has been featured in publications such as BmoreART, Baltimore Banner, and NUNAR, and has received several awards, including the Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award (2024) and, recently, the Baltimore Mayor's Office Individual Artist Award (2025). VILLAGER's artwork can be found in private art collections in Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Rio de Janeiro.