Exhibition

In Loving Memories

Dates

26 October 2025 - 26 November 2025

"IN LOVING MEMORIES" serves as a metaphor — an expression of appreciation for time, space, growth, family, emotion, memory, and history. It reflects the artist's journey as a sgraffito artist, tracing their evolution from the early days of scratching with a single color in 2017 to the present. Growth has been a defining element of their story, inspiring consistency and self-discovery along the way.

Memory, as explored in this body of work, is understood through its three core processes: encoding, storage, and retrieval. Encoding involves processing information, storage ensures its retention, and retrieval allows access to it later. Together, these processes form a continuous system, a living archive of memories.

The fusion of sgraffito and photographic ink printing began as a personal quest for growth. Toju realized that progress could only come from challenging boundaries and experimenting with new methods. Recognizing that humans constantly exist between the past and the present, the artist sought to merge a historic technique — sgraffito — with a contemporary one — photographic ink printing. This union symbolizes transformation over time. The wrinkles on the canvases and subjects are inspired by the concept of pressure and how individuals respond to it differently, both emotionally and physically.

By combining these techniques, Toju bridges the traditional and the modern to represent growth, change, and the harmony between history and innovation.

Through "IN LOVING MEMORIES," Toju hopes to inspire others to embrace evolution, to seek growth fearlessly, and to recognize that transformation is a vital part of the human experience.

Featured Artist

Toju Clarke

Toritseju Favour Clarke, known professionally as Toju Clarke, is a contemporary Nigerian artist specializing in digital art and sgraffito — a technique that involves scratching on canvas and other surfaces.

Throughout his upbringing, Clarke explored various art forms before discovering sgraffito and digital art in 2017, which he now uses as distinctive tools of expression. His personal experiences with depression that same year sharpened his vision and inspired him to create works that raise awareness about mental health, culture, and identity as an African artist.

Clarke's artistic journey began in 2004 when he watched his father paint with a palette knife. He later studied art in secondary schools in Lagos and Oyo State before pursuing a National Diploma in Fine Art. After a two-year break dedicated to self-exploration, he began practicing sgraffito on canvas, developing a personal visual language that merges traditional craft and modern storytelling.

He went on to earn a Higher National Diploma in Graphic Design from Yaba College of Technology, where he emerged as a top finalist in the Nigerian Student Art Contest (NSAC). Clarke served as Art Director for TRIBE-FEST and was recognized as Best Graphic/Digital Artist at the Life in My City Art Festival (LIMCAF) in 2019.

In 2020, he participated in the Rele Boot Camp Workshop for Young Contemporaries and received a grant from Nomad Artist to experiment with sgraffito on walls. This funding enabled him to work on a large-scale project at Freedom Park, Lagos, with support from architect Theo Lawson. Clarke graduated from Yaba College of Technology in 2021.

His first group exhibition took place between 2018 and 2019 with Thought Pyramid, curated by LIMCAF. In 2021 and 2022, he exhibited at Art Pantheon Gallery, curated by Nana Asumah. In May 2022, Clarke was sponsored by LIMCAF to participate in an OFF exhibition at the Dak'Art Biennale in Dakar, Senegal, and also exhibited in London with the Loud Youths Project.

In 2023, he showcased his works at both the iDesign Art Fair and Prizm Art Fair, and was featured in Subo Art Magazine. The following year, he was included in the Artsy Foundation Winter Online Exhibition by the African Artists' Foundation, as well as the Harlem Fine Arts Fair and the Affordable Art Fair.

Clarke is an alumnus of 1952 Africa, a member of The Executive Helping Initiative (a charitable organization), and a graduate of The Next Economy/Fate Foundation Entrepreneur School.