Abraham Onoriode Oghobase (b. 1979 in Lagos, Nigeria) is a visual artist living and
working in Toronto, Canada. In his photography-based practice, he engages with
issues around knowledge production, land, colonial history and representation by
deconstructing traditional modes of making, and by experimenting with the narrative
and material potential of images and objects. Oghobase’s work has been exhibited
widely, including at the 60th La Biennale di Venezia, Venice; the Museum of Modern
Art, New York; Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; the Polygon Gallery, Vancouver;
Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg; Pace Gallery, London, KADIST, Paris; and Art
Twenty One, Lagos. His work is held in the permanent collections of institutions
including the AGO; MoMA; Art Institute of Chicago; Ackland Art Museum, University
of North Carolina; and Museum of Contemporary Art, Kiasma, Helsinki. Oghobase
holds an MFA in Visual Arts from York University, Toronto.
CV
Full CV available upon request
EDUCATION
2022 MFA in Visual Arts, York University; Toronto, Canada
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2025 Notes to Self: New Works by Abraham O. Oghobase; Smokestack Studios + Gallery; Hamilton, Canada
2024 Land Body Schematics; Hunt Gallery; Toronto, Canada
2023 Abraham Oghobase: Life of Mine; The Polygon Gallery; Vancouver, Canada
2022 Resonant Frequencies Beyond the Visible, Between the Lines (MFA thesis exhibition); Gales Gallery, York University; Toronto, Canada
2021 Land/min(e)dscapes; John and June Allcott Gallery, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill; Chapel Hill, USA
2018 Layers of Time and Place: What Lies Beneath; Art Twenty One; Lagos, Nigeria
2018 No Matter Who You Are; Angels and Muse; Lagos, Nigeria
2016 Forming Place; Boys’ Quarters Project Space; Port Harcourt, Nigeria
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024-2025 After the End of the World: Pictures from Panafrica; The Art Institute of Chicago; Chicago, USA
2024 Of Mountains and Seas; Lahore Biennale 03; Lahore, Pakistan
2024 Precarious Joys; the 2024 Toronto Biennial of Art; Toronto, Canada
2024 Nigeria Imaginary; The Nigeria Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia; Venice, Italy
2023 New Photography 2023: Kelani Abass, Akinbode Akinbiyi, Yagazie Emezi, Amanda Iheme, Abraham Oghobase, Karl Ohiri, Logo Oluwamuyiwa; Museum of Modern Art; New York, USA
2022 Living with Ghosts; Wallach Art Gallery, Columbia University; New York, USA and Pace Gallery; London, UK
2021 Diaspora at Home; KADIST, Paris and Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos; Paris, France
2019/20 Silex: de face et de profil in Layers; Labanque centre de production et diffusion en arts visuels; Béthune, France
2019 Streams of Consciousness; 12th Rencontres de Bamako African Biennial of Photography; Bamako, Mali
2019 The Break, The Wake, The Hold, The Breath; Circuit Gallery; Toronto, Canada
2017 The Conundrum of Imagination: On the Paradigm of Exploration and Discovery; Leopold Museum; Vienna, Austria
2014 Prix Pictet. The Global Award in Photography and Sustainability: Consumption; Victoria and Albert Museum; London, UK
2012 We Face Forward: Art from West Africa Today; Manchester Art Gallery; Manchester, UK
2011 ARS 11: Africa through the Eyes of Contemporary Art; Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art; Helsinki, Finland
AWARDS AND GRANTS
2020/21 Recipient, Susan Crocker and John Hunkin Award in Fine Arts, York University
2020/21 Recipient, Graduate Fellowship, York University
2019 Recipient, Okwui Enwezor Prize (inaugural edition); 12th Rencontres de Bamako African Biennial of Photography; “In recognition of an artistic practice engaged in the philosophy and concept of reimaging and contributing to international artistic expression”.
2019 Recipient, Toronto Arts Council Newcomer Artist Mentorship Grant
2014 Finalist, Prix Pictet Global Award in Photography and Sustainability, 5th edition (“Consumption”)
COLLECTIONS
2024 AGO; Toronto, Canada
2023 MoMA; New York, USA
2020 KADIST; Paris, France
2019 The Art Institute of Chicago; Chicago, Illinois, USA
2013 Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill; North Carolina, USA
2013 Danjuma Collection; Surrey, UK
2011 Museum of Contemporary Art (Kiasma); Helsinki, Finland