The story of Ufuoma Onobrakpeya is one of continuity, experimentation, and quiet brilliance. Born into one of Africa’s foremost art families, he has carved his own identity through texture, rhythm, and symbolism. This edition of Don’t Keep Your Art in the Finger! invites readers to experience the poetry of his forms and the heritage that shapes them.

By Mudiare Onobrakpeya. Artwork courtesy Ufuoma Onobrakpeya, Mudiare Onobrakpeya. Photographs, Ireho Aito, Babatunde Muyi

It gives me great joy to dedicate this edition of New Artist of the Month to my younger brother, Ufuoma Onobrakpeya, an artist whose journey continues to affirm the strength and renewal of our family’s creative legacy.

I have watched Ufuoma grow through the language of form and texture, turning memories into movement and rhythm into relief. His art speaks with a voice both familiar and fresh that is deeply rooted in African tradition yet boldly experimental in expression.

Through his plastocast and ivorex works, Ufuoma bridges generations, translating heritage into contemporary form. Each piece reflects a dialogue between past and present and a reminder that art is not only what we create, but what we carry forward.

This feature is both a tribute and a celebration of rhythm, heritage, and the enduring poetry of form.

His face lit up inside the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos, when seasoned collector and matriarch of the arts, Professor Ebun Clark, unveiled Six Decades of Vision: Bruce Onobrakpeya’s Prints and the Global Print Family in the Collection of Prof. Ebun Clark.

Ufuoma Onobrakpeya was not yet born when Professor Clark began collecting works from his father, Bruce Onobrakpeya. Yet, as Ufuoma grew under his father’s guidance, experimenting with various forms of printmaking, the distinguished scholar also began collecting his works. Among these are Female Genital Mutation (Deep Etching, 1998), Fruit Market, London (Dry Paint, 2012), and Faces (Dry Paint, 2002).

He could not hide his joy seeing these works proudly displayed, smiling beside his father, Professor Bruce Onobrakpeya. When I mentioned that his pieces had been featured, Ufuoma was deeply pleased, one could feel it from the thunderous applause that followed the announcement from the audience that graced the exhibition. This affirmed that his artistic voice continues to carry the weight and legacy of the Onobrakpeya name.

A Contemporary Voice in African Art

Ufuoma Onobrakpeya is a contemporary Nigerian artist and the son of legendary master printmaker and painter Bruce Onobrakpeya, who continues to exhibit globally, including in Nigerian Modernism at the Tate Modern Museum, London.

Carrying forward this rich artistic heritage, Ufuoma has developed a distinctive voice within modern Nigerian art, blending traditional African aesthetics, experimental printmaking, and modern conceptual techniques.

He is renowned for his plastocast relief paintings, etchings, and mixed-media works that explore themes of identity, spirituality, music, and culture. His art, deeply rooted in African narratives yet presented with a modern sensibility, merges textured surfaces, symbolic forms, and vibrant earthy tones.

A graduate of the University of Benin, Ufuoma has exhibited widely within and beyond Nigeria, participating in major art fairs such as the Bruce Onobrakpeya Foundation’s Harmattan Workshop exhibitions. His work has been described as a dialogue between heritage and innovation, translating cultural memory into new visual languages that resonate with today’s audiences.

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Fela on My Mind

This plastocast painting by Ufuoma Onobrakpeya captures the soulful rhythm of African jazz through textured relief and vibrant earthy tones. The figures, musicians deeply immersed in performance embodying harmony, tradition, and creative dialogue. Using his signature plastocast technique, Ufuoma fuses sculpture and painting to evoke both sound and motion, transforming music into visual poetry.

A third-generation artist, Ufuoma has exhibited at the Dakar Art Biennial and been featured by Bonhams, affirming his place among contemporary African masters.

Yoruba Drummers

This ivorex relief celebrates the heartbeat of Yoruba culture through rhythmic form and tactile depth. Rendered in earthy tones and intricate patterns, the work transforms a traditional drumming ensemble into a timeless symphony of texture and spirit.

With masterful use of the ivorex technique, Ufuoma bridges sculpture and painting by capturing not just performance but the pulse of community, heritage, and artistic continuity.

A globally exhibited artist, Ufuoma’s works have been shown at Dak’Art in Senegal and featured by Bonhams, further extending the Onobrakpeya legacy to new frontiers.

Mudiare Onobrakpeya is a curator and Director at Bruce Onobrakpeya Foundation. He lives and works in Lagos.