Diaspora Star | Luke Agada : Redefines Identity Through Paint and Theory

Luke Agada represents a new generation of Nigerian artists in the diaspora whose work refuses simplicity. Born in Lagos in 1992 and now based in Chicago, Agada has built a practice that sits at the intersection of art, theory, migration, and global power. His paintings do not aim to comfort; they interrogate. Through fragmented bodies and surreal environments, he asks difficult questions about who we become when cultures collide.

At first glance, Agada’s canvases feel dreamlike, even disorienting. Figures appear disembodied, suspended in unfamiliar terrains where time and space seem unstable. This visual unease is intentional. It mirrors the psychological condition of migration and globalization, where identity is no longer fixed but constantly negotiated. For Agada, the human body becomes a site of tension, shaped by history, displacement, and inherited memory.

His intellectual grounding sets him apart. Agada draws heavily from postcolonial and post-structuralist thinkers such as Homi Bhabha and Edward Said, alongside the literary legacies of Chinua Achebe and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. These influences are not quoted directly on the canvas but embedded in the logic of his work, guiding how he addresses power, dominance, and cultural hybridity in a globalised world.

Unusually, Agada’s path to art was not linear. He holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, before earning an MFA in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2023. This dual background, science and art, quietly informs his approach to form, structure, and anatomy, adding another layer of complexity to his visual language.

His rise on the international art scene has been steady and deserved. Agada has presented solo exhibitions at moniquemeloche in Chicago and Roberts Projects in Los Angeles, while his work has appeared in major institutions and galleries across the United States, Europe, Africa, and Asia. From Gagosian in New York to Gallery 1957 in Accra and exhibitions in Berlin and Beijing, his reach reflects the global relevance of his themes.

Recognition has followed. Agada is a recipient of several prestigious awards and fellowships, including Newcity’s Breakout Artist award, the Helen Frankenthaler Award, the Janet and Russell Doubleday Award, and fellowships linked to MASS MoCA and the Art Students League of New York. These honours underline both his technical strength and his intellectual contribution to contemporary art.

Despite his growing acclaim, Agada’s work remains deeply personal. It is rooted in his Nigerian heritage while shaped by the realities of living and working in the diaspora. His paintings reflect the push and pull between origin and destination, belonging and alienation, experiences familiar to many Africans navigating life beyond their home countries.

Luke Agada’s significance lies in his refusal to separate art from thought. His practice is research-driven, historically conscious, and unapologetically critical. As a Nigerian artist thriving on the global stage, he stands as a compelling diaspora voice, one that challenges how identity is constructed, fractured, and reimagined in the modern world.