ARTIST STATEMENT

In their paintings, photographs, soft sculptures, and installations, Nigerian-born Multidisciplinary artist, VILLAGER, explores the interconnectedness of the human experience, investigating humanity as a product of social conditions. Through research and experimentation, VILLAGER uses simple, bold forms and vibrant colors to create visual imagery and stories that appeal to the many, reflecting the complexities of the human experience and challenging us to consider the fundamental truths that underlie our experiences and connect us all.

Working with acrylics, oil, oil pastel, wood, cyanotype, photo, fabrics, and textile arrangements, VILLAGER’s work reverberates the influence of social culture on the formation of SELF, challenging societal constructions of, culture, identity, autonomy, freedom, gender, masculinity, labor, and community. VILLAGER’s work is continuously informed by their cultural, racial, sexual, and gender identity, using textural elements to depict an evolving understanding of humanity as a byproduct of colonial imagination. Their works also serve as a reclamation of humanity, Challenging the statement, “that’s just how it is” with a more human-centered question- "how did it get to be that way" & “does it have to be that way? VILLAGER mirrors a re-examination of consciousness and thought regarding the collective understanding of our shared human conditions.