Everything is one big great poem. Why pretend otherwise?
– Precious Okoyomon
Precious Okoyomon explores the ongoing impact of the historical construction of race on the natural world. They stage sculptural topographies – often monumental in scale – that seek to undermine what they call the “extraordinarily elaborate sociogenic denial of three raw material features of reality: Rot, decay, and rebirth.” They imagine their work as “an experiment in unthinking this mass invisibility of decomposition.” In their practice, organic materials serve a dual purpose: They remind us of our violent histories while celebrating nature’s ability to adapt and flourish in the face of man-made crises. If Okoyomon’s work continually asks us to listen to the natural world, it also contains warnings of what might happen should we fail to act.
Precious Okoyomon (b. 1993, London, UK) lives and works in Brooklyn.
Recent solo exhibitions have taken place at Kunsthaus Bregenz, Bregenz (2025); Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Ithaca (2024); Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Madrid (2024); Sant’Andrea de Scaphis, Rome (2023); Aspen Art Museum, Aspen (2021); Performance Space New York, New York (2021); Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt (2020); LUMA Westbau, Zurich (2019).
Selected group exhibitions have been held at Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago (2024); Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Turin (2024); Fondation Beyeler, Basel (2024); 60th Venice Biennale, Venice (2024); Sequences Biennial, Reykjavík (2023); Thailand Biennial, Chiang Rai (2023); Okayama Art Summit, Okayama (2022); 59th Venice Biennale, Venice (2022); 58th Belgrade Biennial, Belgrade (2021); LUMA Arles, Arles (2021); Stevenson Gallery, Johannesburg (2021); Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2021); Schinkel Pavillon, Berlin (2021); Aspen Art Museum, Aspen (2020); Institute of Contemporary Arts, London (2019); LUMA Westbau, Zurich (2019); Baltic Triennial 13, Tallinn (2018).
Their work is included in institutional collections including Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt; Rubell Museum, Miami; LUMA Foundation, Arles.
-
I wanted to kill but had nothing to kill, 2025 -
in the belly of the sun endless, 2025
-
the world requires something of me and I’m looking for a place to lie down, 2025
-
Pre-Sky/Emit Light: Yes Like That, 2024
-
When the Lambs Rise Up Against the Birds of Prey, 2024
-
Beloved, 2023
-
Fragmented sky – wind – fly – giving presence to wind, 2023
-
To See The Earth Before the End of the World, 2022
-
Touching My Lil Tail Till The Sun Notices Me, 2022
Sign up to our newsletter to receive the latest updates about Precious Okoyomon and the gallery
* denotes required fields
We will process the personal data you have supplied to communicate with you in accordance with our Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe or change your preferences at any time by clicking the link in our emails.
