UGO AHIAKWO

Ugo Ahiakwo (born 1998) is a Lagos-based sculptor and curator. 

His works are neither limited by any medium nor inspiration but they share common qualities: edginess, dynamism, tactility and a high level of refinement. He fuses his combined knowledge of art and design with his curiosities about the world at large and a yearning to create a much better future. 

Ugo's artistic process involves listening to and negotiating with materials that he finds himself drawn to. "I believe everything has a voice, and I strive to highlight the ones that strike a chord with me via my work," he says.

Ugo Ahiakwo studied fashion design at the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, and the School of the Arts Institute, Chicago, between 2015 and 2018.

He recently opened his fourth solo exhibition, “After The Dance", at Rele Gallery, Lagos. Earlier this year, he had completed a residency at G.A.S Foundation, Lagos, and presented another solo show, “Indulgence Before Consequence”. His sophomore solo exhibition “Sparks Fly” was held at Borna Soglo Gallery in Cotonou, Benin Republic, in 2024 and his first solo exhibition “Sink or Swim”, took place at Alliance Française de Lagos in 2023. Ugo has also taken part in the group exhibitions and fairs: “Big Sculpture” at AMG Projects, Lagos in 2024, “Perspectives” by Tilga Art Fund at Art Hotel, Lagos in 2024, Plus +234 art fair, Lagos in 2024, “Afterimages” by Rele gallery, Lagos in 2023, “Factory Reset: Continued” by Koenig Galerie, Berlin in 2023, “Reverie” by Dada gallery in Lagos in 2023, “Design Intersect at Soto” by Soto gallery, Lagos in 2022, “Are You Comfortable Now?” by A White Space Creative Agency, Lagos in 2021 and “Permission to Exhale” by Dada Gallery in Lagos, 2020. He won first prize in the Tilga Art Prize in 2024, which earned him a residency at G.A.S Foundation in Lagos, Nigeria in 2025. Ugo was also a recipient of the ART X reviews in 2020.

His sculpture "REBIRTH: Alien Superstar" was featured in the Vicnate "N°4" fashion campaign in 2023, and his "Industrial Carcass" series featured in the Vicnate "N°2" fashion film for Lagos Fashion Week 2021, he created site-specific sculptural furniture for the restaurant 22B, Lagos in 2022, he co-designed and co-curated the Lagos Fashion Week "Woven Threads" exhibition in 2022, co-designed the TJ Who fashion presentation for Lagos Fashion Week 2021 and he executed a commissioned sculpture for the Balmain x Chivas Regal launch party in Lagos, 2021

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