Adegbola Gallery, in collaboration with Fresco Gallery, has opened Asidere / Duke, a major exhibition showcasing more than four decades of work by renowned Nigerian contemporary painter Duke Asidere.
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The exhibition presents the dual identities that have shaped Asidere’s artistic journey, the instinctive artist driven by emotion and memory, and the disciplined painter formed through formal training. Through a diverse collection of works spanning oil, acrylic, watercolour, graphite, ink and mixed-media techniques, the exhibition examines the relationship between personal experience and social observation.
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Speaking about the inspiration behind his work, Asidere said life in Nigeria remains his greatest source of motivation, noting that the country’s social and economic realities continually shape his artistic expression.
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“If you live in Nigeria, Nigeria will inspire you,” he said, pointing to challenges such as unreliable power supply, insecurity and governance concerns as recurring influences on his work.
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The artist expressed concern over the country’s security situation, particularly the growing threat of kidnapping, which he said has discouraged many Nigerians from travelling by road.
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“Asidere Duke” highlights themes of womanhood, friendship, grief, domestic life and Nigeria’s social realities. Women feature prominently throughout the exhibition, reflecting the influence of the women who shaped the communities and homes in which the artist grew up.
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The exhibition also addresses issues such as housing shortages, economic uncertainty and social inequality, which Asidere said have remained consistent themes throughout his career.
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“I’ve always been concerned about accommodation, housing issues and economic challenges. We are in a period where it is difficult to predict anything, and that affects how people live,” he said.‎Born in Lagos in 1961, Asidere studied at Ahmadu Bello University and later lectured at Auchi Polytechnic. Despite growing up at a time when many parents encouraged careers in medicine, law or engineering, he said he was fortunate to receive support from his father in pursuing art.
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The painter revealed that he had once hoped to become a physics teacher but was eventually drawn toward a career in the visual arts, where he has built a reputation for technical excellence and a distinctive visual language that blends abstraction and figuration.
‎Personal loss also plays a significant role in the exhibition. Asidere spoke about the grief of losing a son and, more recently, his mother, experiences he said have profoundly influenced his outlook and artistic practice.
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“ When you lose a child, something shifts in your life,” he said, adding that pain and grief can either diminish a person or become a source of growth and reflection.
‎Alongside themes of loss, the artist’s works explore companionship and friendship, values he described as central to his life. He also acknowledged the influence of faith and religious culture on his worldview.
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Asked about the message visitors should take away from the exhibition, Asidere said the works are intended to provoke thought rather than communicate a single interpretation.
‎“My job is to make the work,” he said. “People can take from it what they want.”
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He encouraged resilience in the face of hardship, stressing the importance of hard work and personal discipline.
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The exhibition is presented by Adegbola Gallery, a Lagos-based gallery established in 2025 that focuses on research-driven and materially rigorous artistic practices, and Fresco Gallery, a nomadic gallery founded in 2022 that specialises in original prints and editions by African artists.

‎According to the organisers, Asidere offers a comprehensive reflection on the artist’s career, bringing together works that document the intersections of memory, emotion and the social realities of contemporary Nigeria.