By Esther Onyegbula

O’DA Art Gallery has opened a new group exhibition titled Happy, bringing together eight contemporary artists in a bold exploration of the complexities surrounding the idea of happiness.

The exhibition, which opened on Saturday and will run until April 25 at the gallery’s Victoria Island space, interrogates conventional notions of joy, presenting it not as a fixed or simplistic emotion, but as a layered, evolving condition shaped by personal and collective experiences.

Curated by Obida Obioha, Happy challenges viewers to rethink happiness beyond surface-level expressions of lightness and ease, instead positioning it as something constructed, fleeting, and at times performative.

Speaking on the concept behind the show, Obioha said the exhibition proposes that joy is not the absence of complexity, but exists alongside it.

“Joy is something we arrive at, return to, lose, and remake again and again,” she said, noting that the works on display deliberately resist simplistic interpretations of happiness.

Through a diverse range of styles and mediums, the artists examine happiness as an experience shaped by tension, memory, time and contemporary realities. Ayanfe Olarinde explores the emotion through themes of transition and endurance, while Alfa Abdulkadir presents a futuristic interpretation that questions humanity’s relationship with technology.

Filmmaker and artist Abba Makama reflects on the transient nature of joy, framing it as something deeply tied to time and its passage.

Other exhibiting artists, including Moyosore Jolaolu and Lawrence Meju, employ vibrant colours and expansive forms to evoke brightness and openness, while Musa Ganiyy and Osione Itegboje locate joy in quiet, intimate moments of release, play and pleasure.

In contrast, Williams Chechet presents a more subdued interpretation, where happiness is expressed through resilience, survival and a quiet insistence on being.

Collectively, the works encourage viewers to look beyond overt expressions of joy, highlighting its subtler, often contradictory forms. The exhibition also raises questions about how happiness is felt, remembered and reconstructed, particularly within the context of contemporary life.

According to the gallery, Happy aligns with its broader vision of positioning art as a medium for emotional exploration, healing and elevation, while amplifying African and diasporic voices within the global cultural space.

Founded in Lagos, O’DA Art Gallery has built a reputation for its focus on abstract figuration and innovative visual languages. The gallery has participated in international art fairs and hosted artist residencies, gaining recognition among collectors and institutions.

Its previous exhibition, Black Figuration Is Alive and Well (2025), brought together 16 artists in a widely acclaimed showcase that redefined portraiture and figuration.

With Happy, the gallery continues its trajectory of curating thought-provoking exhibitions, inviting audiences to engage more deeply with the emotional and philosophical dimensions of art.