Artist Profile

OGHAGBON EBOIGBODIN MOSES
Contemporary Visual Artist | Documentary Photographer | Cultural Documentarian
Oghagbon Eboigbodin Moses is a Nigerian contemporary visual artist, documentary photographer, and cultural documentarian whose multidisciplinary practice explores the relationship between art, cultural heritage, memory, identity, history, and place. Through painting, photography, field research, and visual storytelling, he creates works that document lived experiences while preserving the cultural narratives of Nigerian communities for present and future generations.

Born in Lagos State, Nigeria, Moses received a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Fine Art, specialising in Painting, from the School of Art, Design and Printing Technology, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, in 2004. In recognition of his contribution to the visual arts, he was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) in Painting by African American University, India, in 2025.

For more than two decades, Moses has developed a sustained and research-driven artistic practice grounded in observation, fieldwork, travel, and direct engagement with communities. His practice extends beyond the conventional studio environment into cultural landscapes, historic sites, traditional institutions, festivals, and everyday spaces. Through painting and documentary photography, he records traditions, ceremonies, architecture, occupations, landscapes, indigenous knowledge, and community life, creating visual narratives that function both as contemporary artworks and as records of cultural memory.

His artistic approach brings together observation, expressive colour, composition, gesture, atmosphere, and storytelling. Rather than simply documenting what he encounters, Moses interprets the emotional and cultural significance of people and places, transforming observed experiences into visual narratives that connect personal memory with collective history.

CULTURAL DOCUMENTATION AND LONG-TERM PROJECTS
A central focus of Moses's practice is the documentation and preservation of Nigerian cultural heritage. His long-term projects include Argungu Series, Colours of Uhola, and Yauri View, which explore the cultural landscapes and identities of the Argungu, Zuru, and Yauri Emirates of Kebbi State, Nigeria.

Through repeated field visits, photography, painting, research, and sustained community engagement, these projects document festivals, indigenous knowledge, royal institutions, traditional occupations, fishing culture, architecture, landscapes, rituals, and everyday life.

Among these projects, the Argungu Series has developed into an extensive and evolving visual archive of the Argungu Emirate. The project examines the relationship between people, tradition, landscape, history, and cultural continuity, with particular attention to the cultural life surrounding the Argungu Fishing Festival and the communities of the region.

Moses approaches cultural documentation as both an artistic responsibility and a means of preserving collective memory. His work seeks to ensure that important cultural narratives are not lost to time, while creating opportunities for contemporary audiences to engage with Nigeria's diverse heritage through visual art.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Moses has presented thirteen solo exhibitions in Nigeria, including:

Argungu Series 10 — O'DA Art Gallery, Lagos, 2024.
Argungu Series 9 — National Museum, Lagos, 2023.
Argungu Series 8 — Thought Pyramid Art Centre, Abuja, 2019.
Colours of Uhola 1 — Moorhouse Hotel, Lagos, 2018.
Argungu Series 7 — Terra Kulture, Lagos, 2018.
Argungu Series 6 — Alliance Française, Kano, 2017.
Argungu Series 5 — Argungu Polo Tournament, Kebbi, 2017.
Treasure of Time — Moorhouse Hotel, Lagos, 2017.
Argungu Series 4 — Kanta Museum, Kebbi, 2017.
Argungu Series 3 — Alliance Française, Lagos, 2016.
Argungu Series 2 — Moorhouse Hotel, Lagos, 2016.
Argungu Series 1 — Terra Kulture, Lagos, 2013.
Scapes from Nigeria — Nike Art Gallery, Lagos, 2011.

SELECTED INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS
Moses has participated in international group exhibitions across Africa and the United States, including:

Borderless Border — Simpleliving Art Gallery, Kibagabaga, Kigali, Rwanda, 2025.
Common Front — Anderson Arts Center, South Carolina, USA, 2024.
Global Peace Through Synergy — Artfully Spaced Gallery, California, USA, 2023.
360 Degrees of Healing III — Artfully Spaced Gallery, California, USA, 2022.
Here and There: Celebrating Nigeria's Independence @ 61 — presented in conjunction with the Nigerian Association of Central Florida, USA, 2021.
360 Degrees of Healing II — Artfully Spaced Gallery, California, USA, 2021.
The Way We Are — Anderson Arts Center, South Carolina, USA, 2020.
Exhibition of African Art — Jesuit Historical Institute of Africa, Hekima University College, Nairobi, Kenya, 2019.

GRANTS, AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Moses's career has been supported by grants and recognised through exhibitions, professional distinctions, and public honours.

In 2006, he received the Ford Foundation / Terra Kulture Grant, supporting the development of his artistic practice.

In March 2022, he received a Certificate of Recognition from the City of Los Angeles, USA, following his participation in 360 Degrees of Healing III at Artfully Spaced Gallery, California.

His works have also been presented through established art auction platforms, including the SOCAL Auction, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria, in 2017, and the Terra Kulture Art Auction, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria, in 2011.

In 2026, Moses was selected as an Ambassador for The People's Artist 2026, a United States-based art competition created by Johnny Depp. His selection reflects his continuing engagement with artistic excellence, cultural documentation, and public participation in the visual arts.

ARTISTIC VISION
Moses's practice is grounded in the conviction that art can be both a creative expression and a form of cultural preservation. He views every community as a repository of stories, every landscape as a bearer of memory, and every tradition as a source of knowledge worthy of documentation.

His paintings and photographs engage with the beauty, resilience, movement, labour, spirituality, traditions, and everyday experiences of Nigerian communities. By bringing these subjects into contemporary visual discourse, he creates a bridge between cultural memory and contemporary experience.

His work is ultimately concerned with preservation, identity, memory, and continuity. Through long-term documentation and artistic interpretation, Moses continues to build a visual archive that honours Nigeria's cultural heritage while making its stories accessible to wider audiences.

At the heart of his practice is a commitment to observe, document, preserve, and tell the stories of people and places through art.

For Moses, every painting is more than an image; it is an act of remembrance. Every photograph is a record of a moment. Every project is an opportunity to preserve a story that may otherwise disappear.

His continuing body of work therefore represents not only an individual artistic journey, but also a contribution to the broader preservation of Nigeria's visual and cultural heritage.