Nengi Omuku: The Gathering @ de Young

In her first US solo museum exhibition, painter Nengi Omuku shares dream-like scenes that imagine a better world for young Nigerians. Her figures live in lush forests, tranquil gardens, and along the water’s edge — environments out of reach for many people living in Lagos. In her paintings, nature becomes an important symbol of healing and possibility. By placing her figures in these settings, she envisions a world shaped by care and belonging. Omuku paints on handwoven sanyan, a historic Yoruba textile once worn for important ceremonies. This material choice brings cultural continuity and the passing of knowledge into her work.

The exhibition brings together Omuku’s paintings with artworks from our arts of Africa collection, sculptures and textiles shaped by ancestry, nature, and community. Omuku’s paintings echo these works, showing how people stay connected to one another, to the land, and to the stories that guide them. This gathering of artworks opens a conversation across time, offering new ways of seeing and being together.