Be Still And Smell Your Flowers, 2023

Janet Adegoke  

Janet Temitope Adegoke is an emerging artist from Western Nigeria. She is a graduate of Human Anatomy from Bowen University, Osun, Nigeria. Janet took an interest in art at the tender age of ten while observing her creative peers. She initially considered her art to be just a hobby. She, however, spent years practicing and refining her craft until she finally took her art up professionally in 2020. She has participated in several group exhibitions in Lagos, Nigeria, and has been featured in publications at home and abroad, such as the Aké Review and ShoutOut Miami.

The artist creates paintings that function as visual manifestos for empowerment and self-acceptance, centering women in their immediate environment while engaging with broader, universal experiences. Within the work, the female form is presented as both fractured and whole, embodying layered emotional states shaped by cultural expectations and systems of control.

Observed narratives are translated onto the canvas through figures that remain intentionally anonymous yet deeply relatable. This approach allows for both specificity and openness, inviting viewers to locate their own experiences within the compositions. The artist's process is meticulous and labor-intensive, built through the accumulation of deliberate paint marks that operate like pixels within a larger whole. These marks speak to the complexity and nuance of lived experiences, particularly those of women navigating identity, resilience, and the pursuit of agency.

Working from a fully African perspective, the practice contributes to the evolving global dialogue surrounding Black and diasporic experiences. The artist is particularly interested in fostering connections between Africa and its diasporas, creating space for shared histories, tensions, and possibilities. Ultimately, the work seeks to hold space for reflection, recognition, and a reimagining of self.