# Nengi Omuku

Nengi Omuku (born August 9, 1987 in Warri, Nigeria) is a Nigerian creative artist, sculptor and painter. Omuku is a visual artist known for her passionate paintings that explore themes of identity, mental journeying, and mutual belonging. Her work often features abstracted figures up against lively, celestial landscapes, drawing inspiration from the natural world. Omuku currently lives and works between Lagos, Nigeria, and London, UK.

## Early life and education

Born in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria, Omuku spent her childhood in Nigeria, where she developed an interest in art from a young age. Her mother worked as a florist and horticulturist, which informed and inspired Omuku's later art.
At 16, she moved to England to pursue her A-level studies, marking the beginning of her formal education in the arts. The transition from Nigeria to the UK introduced her to new cultural influences, which, combined with her early experiences in Nigeria, contributed to the fluid, expressive style that characterizes her work. Omuku studied both her B.A. and M.A in Fine art at the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London.

## Work
### Themes

Nengi Omuku's work explores themes of identity, transformation, displacement, and the collective experience. Her paintings often depict ethereal figures set against dreamlike landscapes, reflecting concepts of psychological and emotional states. A main aspect of her practice is the concept of mutual belonging, where she explores the ways people navigate their own personal experiences and shared histories. Drawing from her own life of living between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, Omuku frequently addresses themes of migration and the adaptability of selfhood.
Her work is also influenced by mental health and the inner workings of the human mind. She has referenced the psychological impact of space, memory, and trauma, incorporating elements of abstraction that highlight shifting realities. Additionally, Omuku integrates textiles—particularly handwoven Nigerian fabrics—into her paintings, merging traditional materials with contemporary artistic expression. This use of fabric serves as a metaphor for cultural heritage and transformation, reinforcing the themes of movement and adaptation that define her body of work.

### Paintings

Nengi Omuku’s paintings are known for their expressive brushstrokes and rich, layered colors that create surreal, atmospheric scenes. She uses oil paint, and builds up soft figures that blend into their surroundings, giving her work a sense of movement and emotion. Her colors are often muted yet vibrant, with warm earth tones and cool blues working together to create depth and feeling.
Omuku’s brushwork is loose and impressionistic, allowing forms to emerge and dissolve, like a memory or a fleeting moment. She often paints figures in groups or alone, placing them in abstract landscapes that feel both familiar and surreal. Her work reflects themes of refuge, transition, and belonging, coming from her earlier life and later experiences living between different places like Lagos, London, and Italy. Through her use of oil paint, she captures not just the physical spaces but emotional and psychological ones as well.

### Textiles

Nengi Omuku paints on sanyan, a traditional Nigerian fabric made from the fibers of the African wild silk moth. This handwoven textile has profound cultural roots in Yoruba history, and by using it as her canvas, Omuku ties her work to Nigeria’s artistic heritage. The textile does not just serve as a background, but also plays an active role in her paintings. Its texture and meaning influences the final piece. She is innovative and honoring all in one.
Omuku sees sanyan as more than just a surface—it’s a way to connect the past with the present. The natural weave of the fabric interacts with her oil paint, creating a unique depth and movement in her work. Through this blend of old and new, she explores her works' themes further. In exhibitions like Parables of Joy at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, her use of sanyan highlights the importance of indigenous materials in telling personal and collective stories.

### Commissions

* Arts Council England to paint a mural in an intensive care psychiatric ward in Maudsley hospital, London (2018)
* HSBC Art Collection,
* Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection
* Dawn Art Collection

### Notable works

* I can't feel my legs, March 2012, oil on canvas, 220 x 160 cm.
* Botticelli, April 2012, oil on canvas, 100 x 140 cm.
* Corkscrew October 2014.
* Room with a view, 2020, oil on sanyan 130 x 190 cm
* What was lost, 2020, oil on sanyan 208 x 243 cm

## Awards

Nengi Omuku's artistic work has won her scholarships and awards, including the British Council CHOGM art award presented by Her majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
* 2021 World Trade Organization (WTO) artist in residence in Geneva
* 2012 Prankerd Jones Memorial Prize Awarded by University College London
* 2011 Nancy Balfour MA Scholarship Awarded by University College London
* 2003 Winner- British Council CHOGM art competition Awarded by Queen Elisabeth II

## Highlights

Nengi Omuku’s work has been featured in several books and exhibition catalogues, including Soulscapes (2024) by Dulwich Picture Gallery and Nengi Omuku: The Dance of People and The Natural World (2023), published for her solo exhibition at Hastings Contemporary.
She has participated in prestigious artist residencies, such as the Civitella Ranieri Residency in Italy (April–June 2024), Black Rock Senegal Residency (2022–2023), and World Trade Organization Residency in Geneva (2021).

## Collections

Nengi Omuku’s work is part of several public and private collections around the world. Her paintings can be found in institutions such as The Newark Museum of Art, The Baltimore Museum of Art, The Norton Museum of Art, ICA Miami, The Whitworth, and The Azman Museum. She is also represented in corporate and private collections, including The HSBC Collection, The Bunker Artspace Museum, The Loewe Collection, The Monsoon Collection, The Easton Capital Collection, The Dawn Art Collection, and The Ditau Collection. Additionally, her work is held by Black Rock Senegal, The Women’s Art Collection at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, and other notable collections.

## Exhibitions
### Solo exhibitions

* (Upcoming) Gathering, de Young Museum (2026)
* Wild Things and Perennials, Kasmin Gallery, New York, USA (2024)
* As Water Never Touched, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA (2023)
* The Dance Of People And The Natural World, Hastings Contemporary, UK and Arnolfini Arts, Bristol, UK (2023-2024)
* Parables of Joy, Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London, UK (2022)
* Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin (2021)
* Gathering, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2020)
* Stages of Collapse, September Gray, Atlanta (2017)
* A State of Mind, The Armory Show, New York (2016)
* A State of Mind, Omenka Gallery, Lagos (2015)
* To Figure an Encounter, Open The Gate, London (2011).

### Group exhibitions

* (Upcoming) HOME, Manchester, UK (2025)
* An Uncommon Thread, Hauser & Wirth, Bruton, UK (2025)
* The Poetics of Dimensions, curated by Larny Ossei-Mensah, ICA San Francisco, California, USA (2024)
* Come Sing With Us!, Lentos Museum, Austria (2024)
* As She Is, curated by Rejina Pyo, Soho Revue, London, UK; 15th Dak’Art Biennale, Dakar, Senegal (2024)
* Exchanges, The Whitworth, Manchester (2024)
* EXPO Chicago, Kristin Hjellgjerde Gallery, Chicago, IL, USA (2024)
* A Spirit Inside, travelling exhibition, Compton Verney, UK (2024)
* Soulscapes, Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, UK (2024)
* Free The Wind, The Spirit, and The Sun, Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, UK (2023)
* A Spirit Inside, travelling exhibition, The Lightbox, Woking, UK (2023)
* Aso Oke: Prestige Cloth from Nigeria, St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, USA (2023)
* Rites of Passage, Gagosian, curated by Péjú Oshin, London, UK (2023)
* CHAOS: CALM, Bangkok Art Biennale, Bangkok, Thailand (2022)
* The Company She Keeps, Tiwani Contemporary, Lagos, Nigeria (2022)
* Uprising, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin, Germany (2022)
* Dissolving Realms, curated by Katy Hessel, Kasmin Gallery, New York, USA (2022)
* What Lies Beneath: Women, Politics, Textiles, New Hall Art Collection, Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, UK (2022)
* Ubuntu: I Am Because We Are, curated by Louise Stefanii, Africana Art Centre, online (2022)
* Self-Addressed, curated by Kehinde Wiley at Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles, USA (2021)
* Ubunti: I Am Because We Are, World Trade Organisation, Headquarter, Geneva, Switzerland (2021)
* The Invincible Hands, Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art, Lagos, Nigeria (2021)
* La Galerie, Contemporary art Center, Noisy-le-Sec (2021)
* All the Days and Nights, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2020)
* Untitled Art San Francisco, with Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, San Francisco (2020)
* 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, London (2019), Hospital Rooms, Griffin Gallery, London (2018)
* At work, Arthouse, Lagos (2018); ARTX, Lagos (2017)
* Commotion, 1:54, London (2017); Mapping Histories, Constructing Realities, ART15, London (2015)
* The Next 50 Years, Omenka Gallery, Lagos (2014)
* Jerwood Drawing Prize Exhibition, Jerwood Gallery, London (2012).
* Deep Cuts Last Measures, Stephen Lawrence Gallery, London (2011)
* Surplus to Requirements, Slade Research Center, London (2011)
* The Future of Contemporary Art, Lloyd Gill Gallery, Bristol (2010)
* Group Exhibition, Swiss Cottage Gallery, London (2010)
* Group Exhibition, Camden Art Gallery, London (2009)