Luke Agada (b.1992, Lagos, Nigeria; lives and works in Chicago, IL) received his undergraduate degree at the Federal University of Agriculture in Abeokuta, Nigeria. In 2023, he earned an MFA in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). He has exhibited at venues including Kristin Hjellegierde Gallery, Berlin, Germany; African Artist’s Foundation, Lagos, Nigeria and Gallery 1957, Accra, Ghana, among others and had his first US exhibition in 2023 with moniquemeloche gallery, Chicago, IL. Agada is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships including The James Nelson Raymond Fellowship, The Helen Frankenthaler Award, The Janet and Russell Doubleday Award, The George and Ann Siegel Award and The Global Warming International Art Prize. Agada was a 2023 Artist in Residence at MASS MoCA. He was awarded a 2023 Teaching Fellowship at SAIC in the Painting and Drawing department. Upcoming projects include a residency in France and an upcoming solo show at moniqumeloche gallery in September 2025.
Luke Agada
Sleep walker, 2024
Oil on canvas
48 x 48 in (121.9 x 121.9 cm)
Luke Agada
Contorted self (It shines differently here), 2024
Oil on canvas
72 x 72 in (182.9 x 182.9 cm)
Luke Agada
Vestiges, 2024
Oil on canvas
72 x 60 in (182.9 x 152.4 cm)
Luke Agada
Night Sweats, 2024
Oil on canvas
72 x 60 in (182.9 x 152.4 cm)
Luke Agada
Give us this day, 2024
Oil on canvas
72 x 60 in (182.9 x 152.4 cm)
Luke Agada
Unstill life (The view from here), 2024
Oil on canvas
48 x 48 in (121.9 x 121.9 cm)
Luke Agada
Vestiges II, 2024
Oil on canvas
72 x 60 in (182.9 x 152.4 cm)
Luke Agada
Crossers, 2023
Oil on canvas
54 x 48 in (137.2 x 121.9 cm)
Luke Agada
The Edge, 2024
Oil on canvas
54 x 48 in (137.2 x 121.9 cm)
Roberts Projects is pleased to announce representation of Luke Agada, in association with moniquemeloche gallery, Chicago. This announcement follows the gallery's recent solo exhibition with the artist, Between Two Suns, which opened on September 28th and will be on view until November 2nd, 2024.
Interview by Katie Kern
Luke Agada opens his first Los Angeles show at Roberts Projects on Sept. 28. It wasn't exactly a clear path for him to arrive here, growing up in Lagos and studing veterinary medicine before finding his way to painting. Below, CULTURED sat down with the artist to talk about the question of home, certain colors becoming a safe haven, and the painters he turns time and again for inspiration.
Former veterinarian Luke Chidiebube Agada has emerged as a rising star in the art world. Born in Lagos in 1992, Agada’s journey from self-taught artist to acclaimed painter, as captured by artsy.net, has captivated the attention of galleries and collectors alike.
Agada’s unconventional path led him from veterinary medicine to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he completed his MFA in 2023. His bold career shift is now bearing fruit with his first Los Angeles solo exhibition, “Between Two Suns,” opening at Roberts Projects on September 28th.
By Maxwell Rabb
Luke Chidiebube Agada started out as a self-taught artist while pursuing a degree in veterinary medicine, making and selling art to pay bills. Just one year into his veterinary career, Agada quit and enrolled in an MFA program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, from which he graduated in 2023. This abrupt pivot is paying off with his first solo exhibition in Los Angeles, “Between Two Suns,” on view at Roberts Projects from September 28th through November 2nd.
Interview by Phyllis Hollis
Nigerian artist living and working in Chicago. Examines themes of globalization, migration and cultural dislocation within the framework of a postcolonial world. MFA in Painting and drawing from School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2023. Teaching Fellow at the Painting and Drawing Department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL. Recently named a 2024 Breakout Artist by NewCity Magazine.
