As a Nigerian-born, Canadian-raised, only daughter of four, Ada is deeply personal to me. The exhibition title, “Ada,” meaning “firstborn daughter” in Igbo, reflects both my relationship to my family as the only daughter and to my culture. Growing up in Canada, after moving here when I was two years old, much of my understanding of Nigeria came through stories, movies, and TV, family gatherings, and fragments of traditions passed on by my parents. This exhibition works to capture my ongoing journey of rediscovering my Nigerian roots while acknowledging the reality of being shaped and formed by two places and two cultures at the same time.
Ada
Where do you belong?
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Canadian
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Where do you belong?
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Nigerian
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Where do you belong? * Canadian * Where do you belong? * Nigerian *
Shot and Edited by Kyle WilsonRecap Video
Catalogue
Oil on Àdìrẹ Fabric
48 × 48 inch
This piece brings together traditional Nigerian textile culture and the rugged visual language of the Alberta Badlands. Painted on my own handmade Àdìrẹ fabric, the work places Nigerian heritage within the context and conversation of Western culture and imagery, in hopes of creating a fusion of place and identity.
The piece reflects my own fascination with the Badlands and cowboy culture, while also placing myself within a duality of culture that I am slowly learning to appreciate. By bringing Àdìrẹ fabric into conversation with Albertan western culture, the work invites viewers to reconsider what belongs where, and who gets to be represented within iconic local landscapes
Oil on Canvas- 7x9
With the use of primary colors, this series seeks to show how fundamental connection is in our lives and the ways in which we do so. Each piece is painted with oil colours straight from the tube without any mediums or oils added, emphasizing the rawness and authenticity of human connection. By focusing closely on moments of connection, the work highlights how essential and deeply rooted these bonds are.
Oil on canvas- 7x9
With the use of primary colors, this series seeks to show how fundamental connection is in our lives and the ways in which we do so. Each piece is painted with oil colours straight from the tube without any mediums or oils added, emphasizing the rawness and authenticity of human connection. By focusing closely on moments of connection, the work highlights how essential and deeply rooted these bonds are.
Oil on Canvas
20 x 24 inches
And Then We Were Kids Again is about returning to the feeling of childhood, when time felt slower, and the world felt less demanding. The figures sit by the water, surrounded by nature, in a moment that feels like a return to childhood.
I wanted this piece to capture that feeling of being young again, when you could sit outside for hours, make up stories, explore, rest, and not feel the pressure to be anything other than yourself
Oil on Canvas
10 x 20 inches
The Gala is a series of three mini paintings celebrating the beauty and cultural significance of traditional clothing. Each piece presents attire without a visible wearer, leaving space for the viewer to imagine themselves, their family, or their community within the work.
By focusing on the garments themselves, the series treats clothing as more than something we just put on. It becomes a vessel for identity and cultural inheritance. The vacant space suggests that culture is not fixed to one body or one moment but it is something carried, reinterpreted, and embodied by many people across generations.
Oil on Canvas
30 x 16 inches
This piece explores the emotional complexity of migration and the decision to leave home in pursuit of greater opportunities. The term “japa,” which is used in Nigeria, refers to the act of emigrating from Nigeria in search of a more secure or promising future.
Through this work, I wanted to reflect on the many lives shaped by this common experience, including my own family’s story. The piece brings to light those who carry fragments of home with them while navigating new places, new identities, and new possibilities. It also acknowledges who and what was left behind.
Oil on Canvas- 7x9
With the use of primary colors, this series seeks to show how fundamental connection is in our lives and the ways in which we do so. Each piece is painted with oil colours straight from the tube without any mediums or oils added, emphasizing the rawness and authenticity of human connection. By focusing closely on moments of connection, the work highlights how essential and deeply rooted these bonds are.
Oil on canvas
40x18in
I love the prairies and one of my favourite things about driving between cities in Alberta is seeing the farmland stretch forever, the open sky, and then the mountains in the distance. It’s beautiful, and it feels like a blessing to have grown up around all of that.
But at the same time, there’s this other layer of the feeling of still trying to find your place on land that technically isn’t yours. That disconnect. That question of “where do I fit?” even while you’re proud of where you’re from and the life you’ve built here.
This painting represents both. The love and the tension. That pride and at the same time, the searching. It’s about what it’s like to learn how to belong, even when belonging isn’t as simple.
Oil on Canvas
10 x 20 inches
The Gala is a series of three mini paintings celebrating the beauty and cultural significance of traditional clothing. Each piece presents attire without a visible wearer, leaving space for the viewer to imagine themselves, their family, or their community within the work.
By focusing on the garments themselves, the series treats clothing as more than something we just put on. It becomes a vessel for identity and cultural inheritance. The vacant space suggests that culture is not fixed to one body or one moment but it is something carried, reinterpreted, and embodied by many people across generations.
Canvas Print - 24 x 36 in
This piece is inspired by Psalm 112:7, “She confidently trusts in the Lord to take care of her.” Drawing from the artist’s personal experience, it reflects the profound peace and reassurance that comes from trusting in God’s care. The artwork seeks to capture the quiet strength and serenity found in surrendering to divine protection and guidance.
Oil on Canvas- 7x9
With the use of primary colors, this series seeks to show how fundamental connection is in our lives and the ways in which we do so. Each piece is painted with oil colours straight from the tube without any mediums or oils added, emphasizing the rawness and authenticity of human connection. By focusing closely on moments of connection, the work highlights how essential and deeply rooted these bonds are.
Oil on Canvas
24×36in
Memories never had explores the feeling of knowing where you’re from, but growing up in a completely different place your whole life, that being Canada. It reflects on experiencing “home” through secondhand stories, family memories, and fragments rather than direct lived experience. Uli designs were used in the work, and the pattern carries the meaning of “empty space.” The piece sits in the gap between inheritance and distance, tracing how identity forms through longing and what has been passed down, while shedding light on the beauty of both places.
Oil on Canvas
30x40inch
Nwunye (meaning bride in Igbo) is centred on the Igbo bride. The bride is captured mid-dance as money is sprayed around her which is a tradition that expresses love, honour, and prayers for abundance. Uli designs are in the background of the painting, drawing from Igbo visual language and the motifs that are present in Uli designs. Among these motifs is the kola nut, a sacred element of Igbo wedding ceremonies that represents hospitality, unity, and blessing. This painting is my exploration of the bride not only as a someone who participates in tradition but also as a figure with layered meaning.
Oil on Canvas
10 x 20 inches
The Gala is a series of three mini paintings celebrating the beauty and cultural significance of traditional clothing. Each piece presents attire without a visible wearer, leaving space for the viewer to imagine themselves, their family, or their community within the work.
By focusing on the garments themselves, the series treats clothing as more than something we just put on. It becomes a vessel for identity and cultural inheritance. The vacant space suggests that culture is not fixed to one body or one moment but it is something carried, reinterpreted, and embodied by many people across generations.
See the full catalogue
Voices of Belonging
As part of the exhibition, I invited people to share their experiences as immigrants. They shared their memories, challenges, relationships with home, and what it means to build a life somewhere new.
These conversations played throughout the exhibition, giving another layer of voice to the stories explored through the paintings. I wanted the space to hold not just my interpretation of immigration and identity, but the lived experiences of the people who have experienced it themselves.