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June Spotlight Artists: Nedia Were, Daniel Onguene, and Oluwasanmi Adesiyan
- THE.CCART
- Jun 1
- 2 min read
This June, THE.CCART spotlights three exceptional artists whose work captures the resilience, everyday realities, and emotional depth of African life. Through striking figurative art, Nedia Were, Oluwasanmi Adesiyan, and Daniel Onguene each explore what it means to navigate identity, beauty, and struggle across personal and collective experiences. Their practices share a common thread: the power of representation and the importance of preserving lived stories through portraiture and realism.
Nedia Were: Reimagining Beauty and Identity
Nedia Were, a self-taught Kenyan artist, creates figurative oil and acrylic paintings that challenge traditional and Western ideals of beauty. Inspired by cartoons, comic books, and newspapers, Were centres African figures within natural and symbolic environments that reflect dignity, growth, and self-worth. His work often responds to social issues and media narratives, using the human figure as a powerful tool for reflection and representation.
By reimagining art history through an African lens, Were’s practice celebrates identity and the evolving nature of beauty, offering empowering images that affirm presence and potential.
Oluwasanmi Adesiyan: Remembering the Beauty of Formative Years
Oluwasanmi Adesiyan, a self-taught Nigerian artist, creates intimate figurative works using a distinctive scribble technique with ballpoint pen, as well as acrylic and crayon. His art draws heavily from childhood memories and the influence of his artist uncle, offering emotionally resonant portraits that celebrate the simplicity and struggles of growing up in Nigeria.
Adesiyan’s work captures the essence of everyday life, blending nostalgia with reflection. Through delicate lines and layered textures, his portraits explore themes of resilience, identity, and the quiet power of remembering where we come from.
Daniel Onguene: Capturing Urban Resilience
Daniel Onguene, a Cameroonian artist, uses realism to depict the strength and resilience found in the everyday lives of people navigating Africa’s urban environments. His paintings rich in bold colour and figurative detail portray individuals engaged in informal labour, from markets to construction sites. Onguene’s work explores themes of economic displacement, survival, and the impacts of urbanisation, with food, agriculture, and post-colonial realities central to his visual narratives.
Grounded in his lived experiences across Bafoussam, Douala, and Nkongsamba, Onguene’s art offers an honest and humanising portrayal of life in cities shaped by constant change.
In June, the works of Nedia Were, Oluwasanmi Adesiyan, and Onguene Tassi remind us of art’s ability to preserve lived experiences and affirm dignity in the everyday. Their portrayals of African life, rooted in resilience, memory, and reflection, offer powerful invitations to see, connect, and remember.
By THE.CCART
