‘Womb to Street’: Demola Ogunajo’s bold statement with art

When a visual artist is bold enough to describe himself as an expressive artist, it speaks volumes on the mastery of his craft.

Give it to Demola Ogunajo, a Nigerian contemporary mix-media artist, whose works are sought-after.

His creative ingenuity is incredible and bears witness of his passion, which he nurtures effortlessly.

Demola is among the few that don’t just come to public space or exhibit their works for the sake of exhibition; there has to be a strong conviction to do so.

That conviction is manifesting with his upcoming exhibition titled ‘Womb to Street’, a solo exhibition, which is coming after four years of his last one in 2021.

“It is like an appointment with time that has brought this to fruition,” he said at Soto Gallery Ikoyi, Lagos, during a media parley heralding the exhibition.

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He explains that ‘Womb to Street’, the title of the exhibition, is an exploration of the substrate upon which his work thrives over time.

“We grow every day and as we grow, life unfolds itself to us in diverse ways.

“As a child, there are certain things that you go through, like a veil around you, but as you grow, the veil peels and you begin to come to some kind of settlement with the realities around you,” he explains further.

The title also reflects his spirituality. “So, the whole idea of the womb is the ambience, the Christ, the spirit that is around me, that is indwelling, and that feeds my creativity.

“It is like a child in the womb that is fed. It is an autopilot kind of thing. There is a child that is unconscious, knows what he wants, but he has been nurtured from within.

So, there is that strong feeling of nurturing and guidance. And that is why in my text I say symbolically the womb is an ambience where Christ consciousness is like an ambience, like an autopilot ambience that envelops everything that I do”.

The upcoming, and an unarguably, exhibition to see this art season, opens at SOTO Gallery, #10 Omo Osagie Street, SW, Ikoyi, Lagos, with a private opening viewing on November 4, followed by a public view on November 5, 2025. However, it will run over one month, ending on December 8, 2025.

On display at the exhibition curated by SOTO Gallery, are over 20 works, spanning some years with the artist, majorly acrylic on canvas, with stickers on plexiglass.

But all the works are not from the four years he exhibited last; some span even further.

“Some of the works coming on the show have been in my collection since 2007. I have had works that are done 2008, 2009, some 2011, and to the present. I think the last one was a few months ago.

“It has been a series of the works I have been producing over time, but I have kept on the side specifically, and unconsciously, for something like this,” he said.

He confessed that it was not too long ago, it dawned on him that the ‘Womb to Street’ exhibition is what the works are going to be used for.

“So, it is like an appointment with time that has brought this to fruition”.

Speaking specifically for each work, he said, “I try as much as possible to bring my experiences into each of the pieces that I produce in relation to stuff like that.

“And my Christian life has grown in the process because it is like, as you grow in awareness of things, you begin to see life differently. And these are specified in my works anyway”.

According to him, all the works for the ‘Womb to Street’ exhibition are like a journey of feelings; of his inner feelings, and his inner preoccupation. Moreover, in bits and pieces, they all speak of this source, that consciousness, and that atmosphere from which he works.

“When I work, it is from that ambience of gratitude, of sense of responsibility, delight in God, and a sense of my responsibility. And within that ambience, there is guidance and revelations”.

Picking on a particular work, which he titled, ‘Plumed Heart’, an image of the heart that is covered in feathers, he explained, “The heart speaks of empathy, it speaks of love, and that has wings that are everywhere. And I think, to a large extent, ‘Plumed Heart’ summarises the whole idea and consciousness of the show,” he said.

Revealing what will endear his works to viewers at the exhibition, Demola noted that it is and will always remain his sincerity to his calling, to what he loves, and his passion.

“I have to love my painting before I put it out,” he said.

“When I am painting or working on them, any art piece I produce, I must be in love with the work. I have to go through that filter”.

While he speaks much about his spirituality, the same also has an impact in his works.

“Life is spiritual in essence,” he said. “All the works speak of my spirituality and my person. Just as I mentioned the other time, it is like an immersion in my sense of being, my closeness to God, and my polarity to Christ”.

The above, according to him, has affected everything. “I stay in that consciousness when I am producing from as far as I know”.

Meanwhile, SOTO Gallery is excited to exhibit Demola’s work, noting that with a four-year gap since he exhibited, ‘Womb to Stret’ is a sort of comeback, with a really interesting body of work.

Offering reasons to visit to see the exhibition, SOTO Gallery noted that Demola is bold with his works, particularly in this era where identity and belief are increasingly politicized, as his paintings offer a transcendent vision: faith as lived experience, tradition as evolving dialogue, and art as a site of fearless testimony.

“This exhibition not only solidifies his place as a vital voice in African contemporary art but also redefines what it means to engage with the sacred in public space,” the gallery said.

Offering more reasons why ‘Womb to Street’ is a must-see, the gallery noted that it delves further into Demola’s signature universe, a vibrant tapestry with the signature irreverence and graphic precision of pop art, where angels share canvas space with Lagos street motifs and other intriguing oddities.

Again, Demola’s paintings are filled with paradox: playful yet profound, cartoonish yet cosmic, they interrogate themes of transcendence, divine struggle, and the absurdity of modern life through a lexicon of symbols that is both personal and universal.

The above is obvious across the works on display at the over one-month exhibition, as the gallery urges art lovers, collectors and the public to visit to see the works.

Once again, ‘Womb to Street’ opens with a private viewing on November 4, followed by a public view on November 5, 2025 and will run till December 8, 2025, at SOTO Gallery Ikoyi, Lagos.