Luke Agada
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.
Having traveled from Lagos, Nigeria to study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Agada reinterprets the phenomena of globalization and cultural estrangement through his oil paintings. By employing a terrestrial palette, Agada recalls the rusted rooftops, rugged roads, and radiant sun of his native landscape. A tangible energy arises as his surreal, biomorphic forms are pulled in conflicting directions, striving to find resolution within their tense microcosms. This dynamic reflects the psychological strain experienced along the migratory pursuits of beings in transit—longing for the familiar while memories of home become distorted over time.
Agada describes the ethereal and psychological realms depicted in his work as visually embodying the theoretical concept of the “third space,” a notion first articulated by postcolonial theorist Homi K. Bhabha. The “third space” posits that each individual possesses a unique blend of identity factors including ancestry, geography, and levels of authority. These elements coalesce to form the consciousness of both the colonizer and the colonized.
About the Artist
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.
