(19 7/10 × 15 7/10 inches)
Oliver Okolo is a Nigerian contemporary artist, born in 1992 in Suleja, whose paintings combine portraiture, allegory and symbolic detail to explore identity, presence, memory and the passage of time.
For a fuller introduction to his artistic practice, read Oliver Okolo’s artist biography.
Prices & availability on request.
Worldwide shipping available.
SOLO SHOWS
2023
- Orange Isn’t Blue, OOA Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
- Salon, Bloom Art Studio, Lagos, Nigeria
2021
- I Forgot To Tell You, Now Listen, Gallery 1957, Accra, Ghana
2018
- Shades, Enigma Art Collective, The Cube Café, Abuja, Nigeria
GROUP SHOWS
2026
- Ecce Uomo: Masculinity in Contemporary African Art, OOA Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
2025
- I’m Just a Boy, OOA Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
2024
- Mirrors of Our Time, Alexis Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria
- African Supernova, Kunsthal KAdE Museum, Amersfoort, Netherlands
- Origin, Galerie Von Vertes, Zurich, Switzerland
- AFROVISION: The Art & Fashion Experience - OOA Gallery - Barcelona, Spain.
2023
- Reviving the Spirit! Who Said Figurative African Art Is Dead?, OOA Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
2022
- The Frame Remains the Same, Arcadia Contemporary Gallery, New York, USA
- African Rise and Fall, OOA Gallery with Dapaah, London, United Kingdom
- Catharsis, Eduardo Secci Gallery, Milan, Italy
2021
- Stop, Listen, CFHILL Art Space, Stockholm, Sweden
2020
- Collective Reflections: Contemporary African and Diasporic Expression of a New Vanguard, Gallery 1957, Accra, Ghana
2019
- Art for Development, Action Aid Nigeria
2018
- Art in My City Exhibition, British Council, Abuja, Nigeria
2016
- Life in My City Art Festival, Enugu, Nigeria
ART FAIRS
2023
- Art Madrid, with OOA Gallery, Madrid, Spain
2022
- Art Paris, with Gallery 1957, Paris, France
- ArtX Lagos, with OOA Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria
- FNB Johannesburg Art Fair, with Wunika Mukan Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
- KIAF Seoul, with Eduardo Secci Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
2021
- 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair New York, with Gallery 1957, New York, USA
- Art Dubai, with Gallery 1957, Dubai, UAE
- ArtX Lagos, with Gallery 1957, Lagos, Nigeria
RESIDENCIES
2021
- Gallery 1957 Artist Residency, Ghana
2020
- Legacy Brothers Lab Artist Residency, Chicago, USA
SELECTED PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
- MGZ Collection
- Collection of Howard Rachofsky
- Collection of Majid Fustok
- Collection of Yomi Aiyegbusi
- Collection of Amoako Boafo
- Collection of Ugoma Ebilah
- Collection of Eric Bueil
- Collection of Carla & Pieter Schutling
- Collection of Josef Filser
SELECTED COMMISSIONS
2026
- Private Art Commission by Ashton Thorp, private collector
2025
- Private Art Commission by Alev Lenz, Grammy-nominated songwriter and composer, private collector
2020
- Private Art Commission by Brandan Price, private collector
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2023
- Paul Laster, “Oliver Okolo, The Making of a New Renaissance Artist,” WhiteHot Magazine, May 18
- Joseph Omoh Ndukwu, “Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa… 20 Young African Creatives to Know,” The African Report, January 27
- “Oliver Okolo, OOA Participates at Art Madrid,” We All Culture Magazine Newsletter, February 26
2021
- “I Forgot to Tell You, Now Listen,” Black Discourse Magazine, October 23
- “West African Renaissance in Collaboration with Christie’s Dubai,” Christie’s Dubai, November 10
- Ovwe Medeme, “Oliver Okolo Opens Conversations on Heritage With New Exhibition,” Independent.ng, November 6
2020
- “Okolo Oliver: Artists Inside the Industry,” ArtPlugged, Artist Interview
EDUCATION
2016–2019
- Atelier Clement Nwafor
