Gerald Chukwuma (b. 1973) lives and works in Lagos, Nigeria. He graduated in 2003 with First Class Honours from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Chukwuma is one of Nigeria's fastest-rising contemporary artists, noted for his intricately crafted sculptures on wood panels. The materials he chooses are common enough; however, in his unique way, using a range of techniques—including burning, chiselling and painting—he captures a richly layered history imbued with personal and political meaning. The use of traditional Uli and Nsibidi symbols links his work to the Nsukka art tradition, which is credited with expanding and modernising the Igbo cultural aesthetic. Meanwhile, the transformation of found objects into highly detailed artworks roots him firmly in the contemporary moment, with its concern for rapid environmental and ecological change.
Solo exhibitions include A Place Where Everything Becomes a Possibility, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Palm Beach, Florida, USA (2024); Homeostasis, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK (2023); Captured in Time, Gallery 1957, Gallery II, Accra, Ghana (2022); Eclipse of the Scrolls, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery (London Bridge), London, UK (2021); IKWOKIRIKWO: THE DANCE OF SPIRITS, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin, Germany (2020); Wrinkles, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK (2019); Standing Ovation, Gallery 1957, Accra, Ghana (2017); People’s Paradise, Temple Muse, Lagos, Nigeria (2016); Soaking Up Beauty, Constant Capital, Lagos, Nigeria (2014); and Highlife II, Ethnocentrique, Lagos, Nigeria (2013).
Group exhibitions include The Armory Show, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, New York, USA (2024); Coming Home. Das Ende kolonialer Phantasmen, Kunstverein Wolfsburg, Germany (2023); 1-54 NYC, with Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, New York, USA (2023); Winter Group Exhibition, Urevbu Contemporary, Memphis, Tennessee, USA (2023); Forward to the Past: Reengaging Uli in New Experiments, Brunei Gallery, SOAS, London, UK (2022); Unlimited II, Gallery 1957, Accra, Ghana (2022); TAOH Project, Alliance Française, Lagos, Nigeria (2022); Untitled Miami, Miami, USA (2021); Travels with Herodotus – A Journey through African Cultures, Galleria Bianconi, Milan, Italy (2021); 1-54 London, with Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK (2021); 1-54 New York, with Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, New York, USA (2021); Enter Art Fair, with Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark (2020); 1-54 New York, with Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin & London (2020); Untitled Art San Francisco, with Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, San Francisco, USA (2020); 1-54 London, with Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery (2019); Kubatana, curated by Kristin Hjellegjerde, Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium, Norway (2019); A Journey into Contemporary African Art, Belvedere Art Space, Beirut, Lebanon (2010); Art X Lagos, Civic Centre, Lagos, Nigeria (2018); The Art Story, Cartool Art Gallery, UAE (2018); Art X Lagos Art Fair, Lagos, Nigeria (2016); Essentials, Alexis Galleries, Lagos, Nigeria (2015); The Contemporaries, The Wheatbaker, Lagos, Nigeria (2015); Today in History, Thought Pyramid Art Centre, Abuja, Nigeria (2015); Music Lesson, Alexis Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria (2012); Highlife I: Exhibition of Designs and Art, Ethnocentrique, Lagos, Nigeria (2011); Hedendaagse Afrikaanse Kunst, Amsterdam, Netherlands (2010); PechaKucha: Inspire Japan, Terra Kulture, Lagos, Nigeria (2009); Reclaiming Africa, Goethe-Institut, Lagos, Nigeria (2009); In Pursuit of Knowledge, Civic Centre, Lagos, Nigeria (2009); Africa Now, The World Bank, Washington, D.C., USA (2009); Moderne Afrikaanse Kunst, Danish Center for Culture and Development, Copenhagen, Denmark (2009); Moulding Matter, Pan African University, Lagos, Nigeria (2008); and The Unbreakable Nigerian Spirit, Galerie 23, Amsterdam, Netherlands (2008).
Highlights and Collections
Gerald Chukwuma’s works can be found in prominent collections such as the Almas Art Foundation, UK; the Bunker Artspace Museum, USA; The Hague, Netherlands; Easton Capital / John Friedman Collection; Hearst Corporation; Pan African University, Lagos, Nigeria; Seth Dei Foundation, Accra, Ghana; Museum Azman, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; University of Nigeria, Nsukka; The World Bank Collection, Washington, D.C., USA; Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA), Nigeria; and The Africa Centre Collection, London, UK.
Gerald Chukwuma’s works can be found in prominent collections such as the Almas Art Foundation, UK; the Bunker Artspace Museum, USA; The Hague, Netherlands; Easton Capital / John Friedman Collection; Hearst Corporation; Pan African University, Lagos, Nigeria; Seth Dei Foundation, Accra, Ghana; Museum Azman, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; University of Nigeria, Nsukka; The World Bank Collection, Washington, D.C., USA; Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA), Nigeria; and The Africa Centre Collection, London, UK.