This year we are proud to present works from two Nigerian born artists - Hosten (b. 1982) who came to the UK as a child and Buhari (b. 1959) who has dedicated his life to teaching and making art at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Northern Nigeria close to where he was born.

Ugonna Hosten (b. 1982, Lagos, Nigeria)

Hosten is a British Nigerian multidisciplinary artist who lives and works in Kent, United Kingdom. Her practice encompasses collage, drawing, assemblage and printmaking, through which she investigates the evolving nature of the Self.

Central to Hosten’s work is a sustained inquiry into duality, myth and the unconscious as foundational elements of human experience. Hosten’s practice is driven by a desire to reconnect with and reimagine precolonial African cosmology and culture. With a particular interest in the nature of the self, she draws on a wide range of fields including philosophy, mythology, depth psychology, alchemy and the ancient spiritual traditions of the Igbo people. Her work explores the transpersonal dimension as both a site of inquiry and becoming.

Since her debut solo exhibition in 2022, she has developed an evolving mythical narrative centred on a female protagonist undertaking a pilgrimage under the guidance of a divine presence. This narrative continues to unfold in her recent work, deepening her investigation into selfhood, memory and ancestral connection.

Born in Nigeria and raised in the United Kingdom, Hosten brings to her work a personal lens informed by migration and cultural synthesis. With an academic background in criminology, her fascination with the human psyche extends into her artistic investigations, which often take the form of fragmented imagery that weave together historical, personal and imagined narratives. Her process reflects a commitment to expanding the language of myth and storytelling within a contemporary framework.

Hosten describes her practice as “a process of broadening and deepening a felt sense of the transpersonal dimension, a journeying towards a horizon of self-discovery and becoming.”

In this presentation at 1-54, London, 2025 the works focus on the notion of alchemy and spiritual transformation, the relationship between the "ego consciousness" and the unknown realm of the subconscious, the imagination, unified consciousness.

Selected exhibitions include The song i once knew, Tiwani Contemporary, London (2025), 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, New York (2024), Ed Cross; chi; Altarpieces, Liturgy & Devotion, York Art Gallery, York (2023); Instinctive Travels & The Paths of Rhythm, One Paved Court, London (2022); Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London (2021); Ty Pawb Print International, Wrexham, Wales (2021); Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, London (2021); and Humanalia(n), One Paved Court, London (2020).

As part of Talks 1-54’s programme, Ugonna Hosten will be in conversation with Adjoa Armah on Sunday 19th of October at 12.30 PM

Professor Jerry Buhari (b. 1959, Akwaya, Nigeria)

Buhari is a distinguished artist, curator and educator whose career spans over four decades. He studied at the Department of Fine Art, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he currently serves as Professor of Fine Art. His practice engages deeply with sociopolitical and environmental concerns as well as the complexities of intercultural dialogue.

Buhari's work focuses on both history and mythology with specific reference to the culturally rich Zaria region of Nigeria. In dialogue with this are works from his Jápa series, a meditation on migration and endurance set against the backdrop of Buhari’s reflections on his personal history, the future of his family and a national zeitgeist of movement in postcolonial Nigeria.

This body of work exemplifies his sensitivity to materiality. He often incorporates fabric, miniature objects and unconventional media to evoke layered narratives of displacement, resilience and belonging. Through this, Buhari continues to explore the intersection of memory, myth and collective identity, drawing attention to the spiritual and psychological dimensions of migration and rootedness.

A committed curator and mentor, Buhari has played a significant role in shaping contemporary art discourse in Nigeria and beyond. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships including those from the Commonwealth Foundation, the Japan Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Triangle Trust and the Vermont Studio Centre. He is a Fellow of the Society of Nigerian Artists and is listed in Who is Who in Nigerian Art. He has held visiting appointments at Princeton University, the Savannah College of Art and Design and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Selected solo exhibitions include: Jápa, Ed Cross, London (2024); Landscapes of the Soul, Kó, Lagos (2022); Jerry Buhari, Kó, Lagos (2021); Framed Images of Time and Memories, Thought Pyramid Art Centre Wuse, Abuja (2017); Jerry Buhari in Retrospection: 33 Years Plus, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (2015); and Encounters & Dialogues, Artspring Gallery, Kansas (2008). Group exhibitions include Art Dubai, Gallery Harare in partnership with Kó, Dubai (2023); In a Pot of Hot Soup, Brunei Gallery, London (2022); Environment and object in recent African Art, Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, Skidmore College, New York,Anderson Gallery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Museum of Art Middlebury College, Vermont (2011 - 2012) Earth Matters: Land as Material and Metaphor in the Arts of Africa, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institute, Fowler Museum at UCLA, Los Angeles (2014); and Àsìkò: Evoking Personal Narratives and Collective History, Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos (2013). Seven Stories about Modern African Art (Africa 95), Whitechapel Gallery, London, Malmo, Sweden

In 2022, Buhari exhibited and delivered the keynote lecture at ArtoP: The Visual Articulation of Politics, Brunei Gallery, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

In 2022, Buhari exhibited and delivered the keynote lecture at ArtoP: The Visual Articulation of Politics, Brunei Gallery, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

JERRY BUHARI AND UGONNA HOSTEN1-54 CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN ART FAIR somerset house, London 2025Booth E1116-19 OCTOBER PREVIEW DAY: 16 october

JERRY BUHARI AND UGONNA HOSTEN

1-54 CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN ART FAIR
somerset house, London 2025
Booth E11
16-19 OCTOBER PREVIEW DAY: 16 october