Popoola Nurudeen – A New Language of Presence

Popoola Nurudeen paints from memory, ritual, and a deep internal rhythm. For him, presence is an offering—one that demands sacrifice, attention, and emotional honesty. His work begins in feeling and takes form through repetition, texture, and care.
In this exhibition, his paintings become a kind of torchlight—guiding us toward new perceptions of what it means to be fully here. He returns again and again to blue: not as sadness, but as possibility. Blue becomes memory, heritage, and hope.
“Blue lets me interpret figures and moments. I use it to preach positivity—to connect with something deeper. My piece would whisper: ‘Life is to be lived.’”
Each work is a quiet commitment to presence. To the sacred labor of becoming.
To the question that lingers behind the canvas:
“Life changes… Art remains?”
Popoola Nurudeen (b. Nigeria) is a contemporary painter whose layered compositions explore African life, memory, and identity through color and quiet force. His work has been exhibited across West Africa, including Dak’Art Biennale, Graham Contemporary, and solo shows in Lagos. He lives and works in Lagos.
Now showing in “A New Language of Presence,” Uwevwi Studios x SRS Collection — June 1–30, 2025.