Tosin Kalejaye (b. 1992) is a Nigerian painter. His artistic profession stemmed from interest in drawing portraits in his youth, further utilising his abilities to convey ideas about modern society and the Black experience. A self-taught painter, his work aims to evoke emotional responses through visualising narratives, identities, representation, and historical documentation, initiating social conversations to liberate one’s consciousness.
Through each brushstroke, Kalejaye honours his subjects with painterly precision, yet through these layers there is a constant desire to dispel stereotypes and represent Nigerian art through his own everyday life and to that of his contemporaries. His works challenge outdated constructs and perceptions of the African continent, and provokes thinking about Neo-African art emanating from his home country.
In 2021, he had his first solo exhibition ‘GIVE THEM THEIR FLOWERS’ at Christopher Moller Gallery in Miami, USA. He has participated in group exhibitions such as ‘One Size Fits All’ at Badr El Jundi Gallery (Madrid, 2022), ‘High Voltage III’ at Nassima Landau Foundation (Tel Aviv, Israel, 2022), ‘Amplify’ at Thinkspace Project Gallery (Los Angeles, 2022), ‘Unity’ at Volery Gallery (Dubai, 2022), ‘Hiraeth’ at Prior Artspace (in collaboration with Phillips Auction House, London, 2022), ‘Disco Nap’ at Eligere Gallery (Seoul, 2022), and ‘STOP! Listen!’ at CFHill Art Space (Stockholm, Sweden, 2021).
He has also taken part in art fairs such as ‘KIAF Plus’ presented by Eligere Gallery (Seoul, Korea, 2022), ‘CAN Art Fair Ibiza’ presented by Volery Gallery (Ibiza, Spain, 2022), ‘Investec Cape Town Art Fair’ presented by Christopher Moller Gallery (Cape Town, South Africa, 2022), ‘Give Them Their Flowers’ at Context Art Miami Fair (Miami, 2021) and ‘Making Black and Brown Art Important Again’ at Brooklyn Ubuciko Festival (New York, 2020).
Kalejaye recently completed a residency at Palm Heights in the Cayman Islands in 2022.