Devotion, Dreams, and Destiny - Opening Reception

Eubie Blake Cultural Center

Opening Reception for  a solo exhibition of works by the Nigerian–born Transdisciplinary Artist, VILLAGER (b. A. Adekunle Adaranijo)

Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center

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Eubie Blake Cultural Center is pleased to present Devotion, Dreams, and Destiny, a solo exhibition of works by the Nigerian–born Transdisciplinary Artist, VILLAGER (b. A. Adekunle Adaranijo) on view from September 11 to October 11, 2025. VILLAGER’s work explores the intersections of post-colonial identity, material intelligence, and ancestral/indigenous knowledge production through a spiritual, anthropological, and visual-material-based inquiry that uncovers and interprets the sublime, intangible forces shaping the evolution of culture, identity, and consciousness.Inspired by the mythological and time-bending metaphysical landscapes of The Famished Road by Ben Okri, the works in Devotion, Dreams, and Destiny span across painting, site-specific installation, experimental film, and collage, tracing a journey through a liminal terrain where the real and the supernatural, living and the dead, seen and the unseen, past and present, traditional and contemporary coalesce and unfold into what is forgotten, remembered, and what is yet to be known. The exhibition explores object and material memory, mythology, and speculative storytelling, inviting meditation and reflection on what it means to be in service of something greater than the self—the land, the ancestors, and the collective. Together, these works elicit the revelations that await us at the crossroads where we dream with devotion–glimpsing, listening, and holding the whisperings of our destiny.Devotion, Dreams, and Destiny is a reckoning with the memories of the past we have been asked to carry, and those from the future currently being forged in the present. This exhibition invites the viewers to open their senses and search for what is not directly visible— to reconsider what constitutes the essence of our humble and magical relationship with reality and the supernatural. It asks: What necessary reverence, and remembrance is required to dream up new worlds? And how can the sacred act of devotion sustain us in a world where destiny is never fixed but continually made through the act of dreaming? The exhibition will be on view from September 11 to October 11, 2025 with a preview during the Bromo Art Walk. Join us for the Public Opening reception on September 12, 2025, from 6PM–8PM at 847 N Howard St, Baltimore, MD 21201.Gallery hours:Wednesday–Friday, 1PM to 6PMSaturday, 12PM to 3PMFor additional information on the exhibition, Please contact the gallery at (410) 225-3130 or email info@vllager.com for all acquisition inquiries.<a href="http://www.vllager.com/" title="http://www.vllager.com/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">WWW.VLLAGER.COM</a> | @<a href="http://vllager.me/" title="http://vllager.me/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">vllager.me</a>

About the ArtistVILLAGER (b. A. Adekunle Adaranijo in Lagos, Nigeria) is a Nigerian-born Transdisciplinary Artist, Cultural Producer, and African Spirituality Practitioner whose explores the intersections of post-colonial identity, material intelligence, and ancestral/indigenous knowledge production through a spiritual, anthropological, and material-based inquiry that uncovers and interprets the sublime, intangible forces that shape the evolution of culture, identity, consciousness, and belonging.  VILLAGER's work spans across painting, collage, sculpture, printmaking, photography, installation, performance, curation, and cultural facilitation, in an interconnected ritual of honoring and remembering Indigenous Yorùbá knowledge systems, visual &amp; material culture, and African spiritual technologies and philosophies.VILLAGER has been the subject of solo exhibitions (O)KAN: recent works by VILLAGER (2025), ÀṢẸ: Embodying the Divine (2024), and  BUSH BOY! (2022) in Baltimore, MD. VILLAGER's work has also been exhibited in numerous group exhibitions both stateside and internationally including, Sou(l): Mostra de Arte Afro-Diaspórica, Artspace Vigidal, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Diasporic Crossing, Southside Contemporary, Richmond, VA, BLAQ SHEEP, Superchief Gallery LA, Los Angeles, CA, AFROFUTURISM: 100 years after the Harlem Renaissance, Papermill Playhouse, Millburn, NJ to name a few. VILLAGER has also been commissioned for performances at The Peale Museum, THE ROUSE COMPANY FOUNDATION GALLERY, Creative Alliance, and Maryland Art Place.VILLAGER's work has been featured in publications such as BmoreART, Baltimore Banner, and NUNAR, and has received several awards, including the Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award (2024) and, recently, the Baltimore Mayor's Office Individual Artist Award (2025). VILLAGER's artwork can be found in private art collections in Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Rio de Janeiro.