Upperhill News

A Nigerian artist, Opeyemi Olukotun is set to promote African cultural heritage at the solo exhibition of the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba (AGSM), Brandon, Canada.

The exhibition, which is committed  to equity, community engagement, and multidisciplinary practices, is aimed at  fostering critical dialogues between artists Nigerian-born Artist to Showcase African Culture in Canada Exhibition and members of the public.

Olukotun, and indigene of Ipetu Ijesha, Osun State, and a graduate of Fine and Applied Arts from Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria, is collaborating with the curator, Lucie Lederhendler for the exhibition.

The  solo exhibition, with the theme, “Through My Window, There is a View,” draws directly from the artist’s early days as a newcomer to Canada.

It captures the emotional landscape of migration, the loneliness, hope, fear, and quiet strength required to start over in a new location.

Olukotun stated that the works do not seek pity, but offer presence and perspective, portraying what it means to observe and be observed in a foreign world.

“The works presented in this exhibition explore what it means to start over, to observe and be observed, and to find meaning in unfamiliar surroundings. Each painting serves as a symbolic window into the emotional and psychological states I encountered during the early stages of my resettlement in Canada, ” he said.

In addition, the artist further said that the  exhibition provides a moment of pause and reflection, inviting viewers to witness the immigrant experience from a deeply human perspective, just as he pointed out that through  bold brushwork and layered visual motifs, he would  offer a unique narrative that transcends language and geography.


Olukotun, a signee of  Out of Africa Gallery in Barcelona, Spain,  made his entry into global art scene in 2022 and has over the years affirmed his voice as a storyteller through his choice of painting used to explore themes of memory, displacement, healing, and the layered texture of human identity.

The free admission solo exhibition which would hold at the AGSM facility at 710 Rosser Avenue, Brandon, will start with opening ceremony at 7.00pm on Thurday, June 19 while the lunch and look tour with the artist and curator will come up the following day, Friday, June 20, 2025 by 12.00 noon.