Luke Agada
By Maxwell Rabb
Each fall, as galleries across the globe retire their summer group shows and unveil ambitious new exhibitions, a select group of artists step into the spotlight. This season is no exception, with numerous artists set to make an impression in New York, London, São Paulo, and beyond, each presenting new bodies of work that are propelling them to prominence in the international art scene.
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.
Agada’s work is rooted in the traditions of Surrealism. With colors inspired by the rooftops, roads, and sunlight of his native Lagos, his paintings often feature spectral shadows or warped figures populating domestic settings. These transient figures evoke a sense of the unfamiliar, often associated with the immigrant experience. By considering the instability of space and selfhood, his paintings use dreamlike ambiguity to convey displacement.
Chicago’s moniquemeloche hosted Agada’s first U.S. solo exhibition in September 2023. His momentum continued to build when Roberts Projects showcased his work at Art Basel Miami Beach, where it was highlighted as one of Artsy’s best booths.
