OMOLASTUDIO@GMAIL.COM
Moshopefoluwa Olagunju
MOH-shah-PEH-foh-LOO-wah OH-lah-GOON-joo
BIO
Moshopefoluwa Olagunju is a painter and printmaker interested in the visibility and legibility of how memories are constructed and perceived. He is an MFA candidate Painting/ Printmaking at the Yale School of Art. He was awarded the Milton Sally Avery Arts Scholar award in 2020 and the Senior Studio Arts award in 2021 as a Studio Arts graduate from Bard College. Moshopefoluwa's artwork has been exhibited at venues such as Susan B. Hilles Gallery in New Haven, the Kipp Gallery in Pennsylvania, and The Residency Project x Motor in Los Angeles. Moshopefoluwa is also an independent curator and arts writer. He runs Omola Studio, a nomadic curatorial project, and has curated exhibitions at 63 Audubon, Yale AFAM House Gallery, Ely Center of Contemporary Art, Wàbi Gallery etc. His writing has been featured in Elephant Magazine and EMCEE.
STATEMENT
(2026-)
I've been thinking about memory, specifically what I remember of Nigeria, a place I haven't been to since I left at a young age. I grew up knowing it only through stories my parents told, family photographs, and phone calls with extended family. My memories of my time there are fragmented, and for a long time I wasn't sure I had the language or depth needed to make work about it. Encountering Édouard Glissant's Poetics of Relation reframed how I thought about the gaps in my own memory. His concept of the "right to opacity" argues that some parts of a person cannot and do not need to be fully understood. Rather than working around those gaps, I started working with them. In my painting and printmaking practice, I build up surfaces using layers of paint, mediums, and mixed media. I then use a rotary tool and blade to scratch and carve back into the image. The fragmentation in the work mirrors the fragmentation of my memories. I think of my work in terms of the past, present, and future. Right now I'm focused on the past and present, drawing from family stories, photographs, and personal writing. The future is something I'm excited to explore by going back home.
(2026)
Through painting and printmaking, I investigate the tension between visibility and legibility. I treat the portrait not as a static likeness, but as a mutable form that remembers, resists, and refuses all at once. My practice explores how figures are constructed and perceived, working from both observation and memory.
A pivotal moment in my practice came through the silhouette installation Kinfeosioluwa and Modupe, where I used black plastic sheeting and framed color swatches to incorporate the viewer into the work through reflected imagery. This interaction between material, space, and audience sparked my interest in how figures could emerge or recede within color swatches, prompting deeper exploration into how legibility shifts depending on perspective.
This inquiry led to Ifesowapo II, an engraved print on aluminum created with an etching press. The figure is embedded within the surface, intentionally obscured. It emerges and retreats depending on changes in light and the viewer’s position. Here, I explore how subtle shifts in material and environment can affect perception, creating a dynamic exchange between what is physically present and what is emotionally felt.
Across both painting and printmaking, I’m driven by a desire to push beyond the comfort of representational portraiture. I’m increasingly interested in using color studies, texture, and material to evoke the essence of a figure without relying on exact representation. My process includes layering, sewing, and distorting the image to create moments of presence and absence. The viewer’s participation, through reflection, movement, or spatial relationship, becomes integral to how the work is experienced.
(2025)
Through painting and printmaking, I investigate the tension between visibility and legibility. I treat the portrait not as a static likeness, but as a mutable form that remembers, resists, and refuses all at once. My practice explores how figures are constructed and perceived, working from both observation and memory.
(2023-24)
I employ mixed media collaging techniques on canvas to explore themes of identity, power dynamics, and unconventional representations of the body. Through deliberate choices in color, materials, mediums, non-linear narratives, recurring motifs and symbols serve as metaphors, drawing connections to the act of 'spilling one's guts' or 'wearing one's heart on their sleeve.' The use of bowels and guts, often associated with profound emotions and compassion in religious texts, imbues my work with layers of meaning. I refer to these expressions as 'inner landscapes.' In my recent series 'Blue & Yellow,' I am fascinated by the storytelling and interpretative possibilities within each piece and across the series as a whole. The arrangement of the paintings becomes significant, as it can alter interpretations and provoke reflections on the depicted figures, thereby influencing the viewer's experience. In this process, my role as the artist extends beyond creation to include the curation of the artwork. Through careful arrangement, I shape narratives and invite viewers into a dynamic exploration of emotions and perspectives.
CV
MY HEADSHOT :)