Dennis Osadebe
Dennis Osadebe
b. 1991 in Lagos, Nigeria
Lives and works in Lagos, Nigeria
Grants & Awards
The National Gallery, National Gallery X & Audience Labs at the Royal Opera House commission, The Rules Do Not Apply, 2021
"Radical innovation stems from building from the past and not clinging on to it." Dennis Osadebe
Dennis Osadebe's depictions of provocative surrealist imagery, meaningful symbolism, and playful humour are the bedrock of his work; an ongoing investigation of the perimeters between the traditional and the contemporary. Born in 1991 ni Lagos, Nigeria, where he presently lives and works, the multi-media artist and sculptor originally pursued a career in business before embarking on his journey as a self- taught artist. With a BSc in Business Management from Queen Mary University, London, and an MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the University of Warwick, Coventry, Osadebe's non-artistic background fostered his idiosyncratic perspective and style. Osadebe's distinctly vibrant work is centered around the idea of reimagining his heritage through positive, provocative, and progressive narratives. His practice utilises a personal iconography that explores ancestry, technology, and the possibilities of humanity––a melange of elements of the past with the present, using his heredity as a starting point to instigate a dialogue between tradition and innovation.
Recent solo exhibitions have taken place at KÖNIG BERLIN, Berlin, Germany (2023); KÖNIG LONDON, London, UK (2022); GR Galery, New York, USA (2021); Museum of Contemporary African Diaspora Arts (MoCADA), New York, USA (2021); UNTITLED Art, Miami, USA (2020); Christopher Moler Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa (2020); Avenue Des Arts, Los Angeles, USA (2019) and Galerie Liusa Wang, Paris, France (2019). Osadebe is also credited for projects including THE RULES DO NOT APPLY for The National Gallery London, #StandFor in collaboration with Unique Board, and was part of the team awarded Life Enhancer Of The Year at the Wallpaper* Design Awards (2021).
Dennis Osadebe, New York
May 22 - July 11, 2025
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2023
Factory Reset, König Galerie x Numéro, Berlin
Do You Know How To Pray?, König Galerie Chapel, Berlin
2022
Modern Magic, König Galerie, London
2021
Inside Out, The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art, New York, October 2021
When Power Plays, GR Gallery, CONTEXT Art Fair, Miami
Safe Space, GR Gallery, New York
2020
Figures of Playful Rebellion, Christopher Moller Gallery for UNTITLED ART, Miami
I Like History But I Love Fiction, Christopher Moller Gallery, Cape Town
2019
Field of Dreams, Avenue Des Arts, Los Angeles
Portrait Of A Bright Generation, Galerie Liusa Wang, Paris
2018
A Stranger In My Home, The Other Art Fair by Saatchi, New York
2017
Remember The Future, Red Door Gallery, Lagos
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023
Prelude: A Decade of Art Twenty One, Art Twenty One, Lagos
Taipei Dangdai 2023, König Galerie, Taipei City
Factory Reset: Continued, curated by Dennis Osadebe, König Galerie x Numéro, Berlin
2022
Frieze Art Fair, König Galerie, Regent's Park, London
MISA Discoveries, König Galerie, Berlin
2020
Investec Cape Town, Christopher Moller Gallery, Cape Town
Without Warning, Avenue Des Arts, Los Angeles
Neo Luv, GR Gallery, New York
2019
Tounge + Chic, Phillips Auction House, Hong Kong
Complex Con, Avenue Des Arts, Los Angeles
DREAMstate, GR Gallery, New York
A Spectacular Now, Circle Gallery, Nairobi
2018
FNB Joburg Art Fair, Christopher Moller Gallery, Johannesburg
Press
It’s Nice That: Dennis Osadebe’s character-driven paintings tell a story of his Nigerian heritage, October 2023
Dennis Osadebe x TEDxOAU: Rewriting the Future of African Art, March 2023
CNN: Dennis Osadebe: Meet the Nigerian artist visualising Africa's future by reaching into the past, August 2022
White Hot Magazine: An Interview with Dennis Osadebe, January 2022
Document Journal: Dennis Osadebe thinks the term "African Art" is lazy, May 2019