Nengi Omuku: The Gathering @ de Young

Join de Young on the opening day of Nengi Omuku’s exhibition for a conversation between the artist and Natasha Becker, curator of African art. Together, they will explore Omuku’s painting practice, which examines how sociopolitical conditions shape psychological experience, while also imagining possibilities for refuge and new forms of belonging.  

Omuku creates 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.

Following the talk, join the artist and exhibition curator for a reception to honor the exhibition opening. The reception will take place in the Piazzoni Murals Room and feature light bites and music.

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.