Luke Agada
Whether we like to admit it or not, our background plays a strong role in how we see ourselves, the world and our ideas about life. Artist and School of the Art Institute of Chicago MFA Painting student, Luke Agada was born in West Africa’s bustling city of Lagos, Nigeria.
His art journey began as a self-taught artist while at university studying for his Veterinary Medical degree. He used art as a source of extra income and to satisfy his longing for what he truly felt he was meant to be – an artist. So after just one year as a practicing Vet in Nigeria, he left that behind and began practicing art full-time and later relocated to Chicago for his MFA.
“Bin nka bi”
“Ralph Waldo Emerson said something, ‘do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail,’” says Agada. “And I've always had the desire to do something, not to have an ordinary life, to live a life that is beyond the ordinary and do something different. The bottom line is to actually touch the lives of other people in a positive way.”
Which is not easy. Leaving Lagos and coming to Chicago was a bit of a culture shock. Chicago, although a big city, is much more relaxed and in his words “organized.” But he knew it was the place for him to focus and really hone in on his craft in a way he has never had the opportunity to before.
Agada’s humble beginnings are what keep him grounded and aware that he would always need to do more to get the acclaim he knew he would ultimately want to gain in the art world. This awareness is what affords him empathy to marginalized and minority groups.
“Maybe that's why a lot of women portraits come into my paintings,” says Agada. “Women have to do so much more because they are women. And, in a society that you know, is labeled as a ‘man’s world.’ They have to do extra. Most women we who are on the rise today have had to overcome unimaginable odds. And a lot of credit needs to be given to such individuals.”
This mentality prepared Agada to see beyond the four walls of his studio and the importance of selling his paintings. He believes that a person should “work more on being, than on having.” After all, if you sell a piece of art, it is simply a transaction. But if you build a relationship with those who see the value in your work, you will build a deeper connection.
“I'm much more than my physical art that you see,” says Agada. “My art is not just confined within the boundaries of the canvas or the studio or the work you see that I do. It is embedded in me, it has to echo very strongly in a way that people can relate to it, especially in a world where the politics of representation is of high relevance.”
This relation creates a growing conversation due to Agada’s interest in making work that is socially engaging. Memory and history’s way of repeating itself are two driving forces in Agada’s current work.
“They represent the experiences and the memories of people,” says Agada. “Now, I've been interested in the subject of memory and the ability of something to have the power of dual existence, the ability of somebody to be both present and absent, especially on the subject of loss.”
This perspective on memory hits home when Agada thinks about the Nigerian experience in 2020. During which unarmed protesters against police brutality were shot and killed. A source of civil unrest that mirrors that of the Black Lives Matter movement during the same time.
“In this developing body of work, I try to depict the recurring patterns of events in history,” says Agada. “I realized that the longer we live, the easier it is to discern the recurring cycles of events embedded in the historical timeline. We discover patterns, and everyday becomes like watching a bad movie on repeat. As Mark Twain puts it, ‘no occurrence is sole and solitary, but is merely a repetition of a thing which has happened before, and perhaps often.’”
Overall, inspiring important conversations is an everlasting goal in Agada’s work. But as an individual, he describes himself as more growth than goal-oriented.
“I see myself as a growing entity and I'm not just focused on attaining goals, but on growing in the process. When you only focus on goals, you acquire something, but when you desire growth, you become something and every other goal you desire comes with it.”