In her curatorial statement for the “Wake Up!” Exhibition held at the Angel and Muses gallery in Ikoyi, Lagos, digital artist Awele Onwordi invites the audience to “engage in a shifting landscape where tradition and disruption coexist”. This is possibly the most apt way to describe the works shown by the young crop of artists and photographers that contributed to this exhibition. The number of pieces shown was small but impactful, allowing attendees to engage intimately with the work and derive their own meaning from it. Each piece featured here embodies a unique perspective, giving the audience a chance to see the familiar world reimagined and transmuted in the refreshing, honest and often unorthodox language of today’s youth.
Don't Cry (2025) - Chuka Onwordi
Digital
Chuka Onwordi's "Don't Cry" is from a wider collection titled "Green Girls", which explores themes of heartbreak, pain, sorrow and violence through digital art paintings of sylph-like alien girls. The painting is particularly striking because it features one of his green girls crying blood, perhaps alluding to the visceral nature of her pain. Behind her is a beam of light, and she seems to look towards it even as her bloody tears stream down her face–I am interpreting this light as a sign of hope, a reminder that this too, shall pass.
About the artist: Chuka Onwordi is a digital artist and graphic designer based in Lagos, Nigeria. He describes his style as one that alternates between “chaos and balance”, combining different mediums to produce stimulating works that leave much to the imagination of the viewer.
Akweelu Silver Skin (2020)- Lohi Simone Akharume
Photography
There is an ethereal quality here that immediately quiets the viewer. It is simple, understated, and yet impossible to ignore. It is not just the way the beaded red cloth contrasts beautifully with the subject's dark skin, but the way the light–muted and minimal—dances under the lens. Lohi Simone excels at imbuing a kind of grace into her subjects that feels almost divine while remaining rooted in the familiar. This one is no different. Akweelu Silver Skin sparkles, but not in a way that is brash or overbearing.
About the photographer: Lohi Simone Akharume is a conceptual portrait photographer whose work centers around capturing the essence of her subjects “in their purest form”. Hers is a vocation dedicated to portraying her subjects in ways that allow their warmth and softness to shine through. Her work has been featured in a number of publications, reviewed by the Nikon x Black Women Photographers Board, and referenced in a study on portraiture, African women and agency by Oxford University’s African Studies graduate program.
Boys Don't Cry- Lasisi Kehinde Charles
This one caught my attention because for all its intents and purposes, this boy has been painted to represent a tough guy, but he doesn't look gangsta at all. The painting is rough and smudged at certain parts, creating an unmistakable softness in his eyes and the part of his face that is covered by his hand. He clearly does not want you to see his tears, but in trying to hide them he makes them even more obvious. I think it is a sweet portrayal of how the performance of tough masculinity is often the most telling sign of a man's inner vulnerability—the more he tries to hide it, the more it shows.
About The Artist: Lasisi Kehinde Charles is a multidisciplinary artist whose work aims to “elevate the mundane and capture the subtleties of life”. His work explores the human condition through expressionism, portraiture and abstraction, relying on vibrant palettes and composition to bring these things to life.
Nicely Captured- Awele Onwordi
Digital
Yes, the first thing my mind screamed when I saw this was "pink!" and that is in fact what drew me to it. I love the way this piece indulges the dreamy, hyper-feminine archetype; she lies in a flowerbed surrounded by glowing pink blossoms with literal stars in her eyes. I imagine that she is daydreaming about something too wondrous for words, and so her expression is slightly awed. Or maybe she has just seen a really pretty butterfly. Either way, this painting invites you to sit with her awhile and ponder.
About the artist: Awele Onwordi is a self-taught artist whose work draws inspiration from anime, 2000s culture and music. Often exploring themes of self-expression and transformation, she describes her work as something that “exists in a space that is often described as unrealistic, filled with bold colour, distortion, and imagined worlds”. Onwordi has worked with a number of artists, including JELEEL!, Bloody Osiris, BLNDe, Tia Adetola and others.
Ikare-Akoko, Ondo, Lagos (2025)–Ade(to)juwon Adeniyi
Photography
Shot on film, this photo turns the everyday scenery of Ikare-Akoko into something haunting. It looks for a moment like a place suspended in a different time, although the small bus quickly corrects that perception. Perhaps the most striking aspect of this photo are the trees, leafless and stark against the grey sky. There is a touch of melancholy here that probably did not exist in the original scene, but therein lies the brilliance of Adetojuwon's deft manipulation. It reminds me that as artists, we have all the power–reality is subject to our wills.
About the photographer: Ade(to)juwon Adeniyi is a photographer, artist and filmmaker based in Lagos, Nigeria. Through digital and film photography, he explores themes of vulnerability, black history and joy. He has worked on a number of notable campaigns, including Lagos Fashion Week 2025 and the Homegrown 2025 Campaign by Alara. Heavily inspired by his family, Lagos, film and fashion, Ade(to)juwon describes his work as a combination of “honoring the past and being ever present”.
Mandrill/Cavity (2026)- Franklyn Okoye
Digital Art
At first glance this just looks like a painting of some terrifying primates (mandrills, as Franklyn graciously explained to me). But then you notice the skull they are enclosed in, and it takes on a whole different meaning. The noises mandrills make are varied; sometimes they grunt, sometimes they growl or roar. To the artist, this painting aims to represent how loud it can get in one's head, a phenomenon which is thoughtfully executed here. Interestingly, the Japanese inscription on the bottom right is actually the label of some schizophrenia medication, further pressing the point.
About the artist: Franklyn Okoye is a digital artist and graphic designer whose work engages themes of hyper reality and identity. He is an artist that prioritizes the conveyance of meaning, creating works that “demand attention and resist passive viewing”, particularly in a generation notorious for rapid consumption and misinformation. Okoye works with Street Souk as a graphic designer, acting as a major contributor to the development of the company’s mascot in 2024.
