Afrikanizm | Wande Oseni – Nigerian Artist Exploring Feminine Identity in Art

"Wande Oseni’s work is a lyrical exploration of femininity, identity, and the self. Through the bodies of women in everyday moments — resting, dancing, gazing inward — she constructs a visual language that reclaims softness as strength, and silence as expression.

By replacing the heads of her subjects with the female gender symbol, Oseni shifts our focus away from individual identity and toward the broader experience of womanhood. It is a gesture that speaks of unity and multiplicity, of shared histories and personal journeys.

Her work challenges reductive narratives, choosing instead to illuminate the fullness of femininity — its resilience, vulnerability, playfulness, and grace. Each figure becomes a mirror, not of appearance, but of essence. In their stillness, they speak."

MEET

Wande Oseni

Wande Oseni is a Nigerian visual artist based in Lagos, known for her evocative figurative works that explore feminine identity, emotion, and symbolic storytelling. Entirely self-taught, Oseni’s journey into art was born from a love for narrative expression — a deep impulse to give visual form to the complexity of lived experience.

Her distinctive and now signature figures — female bodies with the women's gender symbol replacing the head — have become a powerful emblem of her practice. These forms invite the viewer to look beyond facial identity and instead focus on posture, emotion, gesture, and aura. In doing so, Oseni reimagines the female body as both subject and symbol, offering space for reflection, empathy, and empowerment.

Wande Oseni’s work bridges introspection with visual poetics, often rooted in themes of resilience, memory, and reclamation. Her rising profile in the contemporary African art scene reflects a voice both grounded and visionary — one that speaks quietly but leaves a lasting impression.

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