Artist Bio

Adulphina Imuede was born on October 25th in Auchi, Edo State, Nigeria. During her early childhood, her family relocated to Lagos due to her father’s service in the Nigerian army. Growing up in a disciplined military household, she turned to drawing as a way to express emotions and desires that were often unspoken.

Adulphina’s work explores themes of healing, femininity, memory, and identity. She is inspired by a connection to the self and a desire to blend the personal with the ancestral. Using watercolour, acrylic, ink, oil, pastels, and coloured pencils, she creates dreamlike figurative works that convey softness and strength.

Her figures, often wide-eyed and thoughtful, with gentle colour palettes, live in emotional worlds that feel intimate and expansive, inviting you to slow down and feel. She sees art as a therapeutic space for the maker and the viewer.

Currently residing and working in Lagos, Adulphina Imuede remains committed to expanding her practice.

My practice is rooted in art's healing and therapeutic power, which I liken to a Midas touch, transforming reality's mundane and melancholic aspects into something tangible and comforting. My work draws inspiration from African representation, culture, femininity, spirituality, family, mental health, and identity. I aim to invite self-discovery and understanding in a world that often feels strange and materialistic.

With a romantic use of colour, I create stylised figurative paintings featuring exaggerated heads and trance-like eyes. These elements reflect cultural symbolism in my Edo heritage, where the head (Ehi) is considered the seat of destiny. Through this, I explore emotion, intuition, and unseen narratives. Guided by the delicacy of femininity, personal destiny, and a connection to the innermost self, I infuse whimsical elements into my work as metaphors for the seriousness of reality, offering a lighter, more imaginative lens to process and navigate life's complexities and dreams.

My creative process is freeing, allowing me to explore my inner landscapes. Inviting others to examine their inner worlds and find resonance in a shared human experience. I work with watercolour, acrylic, ink, oil, gouache, and pastels on canvas and paper, which allows me to explore texture and remain curious about new possibilities.


Personal Statement

EDUCATION

University of Lagos. Akoka, Yaba

Nov. 2013 - Sept. 2016

B.A in Visual Arts 

University of Lagos. Akoka, Yaba

Oct.  2011 - Jun. 2012

Diploma in Creative Arts

WORK EXPERIENCE

Red Door Gallery

Feb. 2018 - Dec. 2018

Intern

SMO Contemporary Art

Sept. 2016 - Dec. 2016

Tour Guide/Intern

Universal Studios of Art. National Theatre, Lagos

Mar. 2015 - Sept. 2015

Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES)

EXHIBITIONS

Group Exhibitions

  • Kuenyehia Prize For Contemporary Art Short-Listed Artists Exhibition at 1952 Africa, Lagos. April 2025

  • Pamphlets: Rele Gallery, Lagos. December 2024

  • Verdure: A Condition of Freshness Presented by Arushi Gallery + So Much Art. Los Angeles, CA. February 2023

  • Girls Run The World: Eclectica Contemporary. Cape Town, SA. August 2022

  • Intersecting Identities: Arushi Gallery. Los Angeles, CA. February 2022

  • Faces of The Homeland: African Art Wave. Coningsby Gallery, London. January 2022

  • Art On A Postcard by The Auction Collective. Curated by Mollie E Barnes. London, UK. September 2021

  • I Love Who You Are, I Love Who You Ain’t: Bill Brady Gallery, Miami, FL. August 2021

  • The Human Experience: The Project Space. Gallery Fanon, Johannesburg, SA. September 2020

  • Locality and The Status Quo: Wunika Mukan Gallery, Lagos. August 2020

  • Destiny: Alexis Gallery, Lagos. March 2019

Solo Exhibitions

  • Phases and Faces: Wunika Mukan Gallery, Lagos. July 2022

  • Higher Self: Wunika Mukan Gallery, Lagos. March 2021

Art Fairs

  • ART X Lagos 8th Edition. Solo Presentation, November 2023

  • FNB Art Joburg 15th Edition. Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, SA. September 2022

  • ART X Lagos 7th Edition. November 2022

  • ART X Lagos 6th Edition. November 2021

PUBLICATIONS / INTERVIEWS / FEATURES