Through the 1897 gallery, Sosa Omorogbe reflects Nigerian culture and highlights the artists and artworks worth connecting with.
Sosa Omorogbe, curator at large and Director of the 1897 gallery, is bringing to the forefront of culture the talent of Nigerian artists and connecting them with the world. Her work brings visibility to Nigerian artists through thoughtful storytelling and strategic placement, most recently contributing to ART X Lagos 2025, where she worked on the photographic presentation of the late J.D. Okhai Ojeikere, curated by Missla Libsekal. She also presented “Under One Sky” for the 1897 gallery at the Abu Dhabi Art Fair 2025, collaborating and exhibiting alongside O’DA Art Gallery, thereby further extending the reach of Nigerian art beyond its borders.
Through 1897, Sosa does exactly what she set out to do: work directly with artists and collectors, connect Nigerian artists to Africa and the wider Black diaspora. She creates platforms that foster dialogue across borders and communities, bringing a fresh perspective to how we experience art.
In this edition of #MCNWorkLife, Sosa shares how she transitioned into curating and bringing 1897 to life. She also discusses her journey and how it was shaped by years spent working across art and finance.
What was the moment you first realised you wanted to become a curator, and how did that spark shape your career path?
I’ve been working in art for a few years before deciding to become a curator. At the time, I had been trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to do within this space. I knew I wanted to work in art, but the question was as what? I realised that my true passion lies in working with artists and collectors directly; they are integral in shaping the art ecosystem, and without them, there’s nothing.
I became interested in the middleman who tells the artist stories and connects them with audiences. I took the route of becoming a curator, but I wanted to focus more on culture and storytelling in order to connect both groups. I thought curation was a great way to tell stories. This was in 2020, when I had time to think about my life. Now, I’m a curator and adviser, doing exactly what I set out to do: working directly with artists and collectors.
Read also: Beyond the gallery: How Oyinkansola Dada became Lagos’ essential art and fashion IT girl
Tell me how the 1897 gallery came to life?
In June 2023, I had been working at an investment bank and also doing art for about a year and a half. I felt it was time to transition out of Investment banking, I spent months thinking, researching and speaking to people about what the art ecosystem in Lagos needed.
I also spent a lot of time on introspective thought and analysis of what was important to me — who did I want to be now, and who do I want to be in 10 years? I knew that I wanted to be a connector of artists to new audiences. I wanted to connect Nigerian artists to Africa and to the wider African and Black diaspora. I desired to foster dialogue. That was how 1897 came to be. I knew I wanted a new business that was dynamic and could speak to the needs of whatever ecosystem we found ourselves in. It’s technically a cultural agency because I knew I needed something multi-dimensional, nomadic, flexible, international, and collaborative.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Honestly, when it comes to work, I don’t have a typical day. I try to keep my mornings consistent. I usually wake up at 7, pray and work out. I try to maintain a routine, though it can be tricky when working with so many people whose needs can completely reshape the day. After I start my day, I check in with my team. I was working until 1:00 a.m. last night, so I woke up around 9:00 a.m. today. I had a team call and a meeting with the advisory team, which we hold weekly.
Right now, I’m doing this interview, and later I’ll handle invoices, knowing that tomorrow will be a big day for shipments and logistics. How my day goes honestly just depends on what the day and project entail. One thing though, is that in January, I will try to stop work at 8 pm and aim for a better work-life balance in my private life. It’s hard to set boundaries when it’s work that you genuinely care about. I always joke that I don’t have hobbies. I had a hobby, and I turned it into my job.
You worked at ART X Lagos 2025 on the placement of J.D. Okhai Ojeikere photographs. What was that like for you?
This is my third time working with ART X Lagos. It was my first job out of college in 2020. It was an interesting work experience, and working on this was meaningful. It was their 10th anniversary, and they have been instrumental in shaping the contemporary Nigerian art landscape that we see now. They’ve helped increase the sheer number of people interested in our art and who are actively seeking to know, understand and value it.
J.D ‘Okhai Ojeikere is an artist who means a lot to me. I’m from Edo state, and he is also from there. It was fantastic to play a small part in honouring his legacy and bringing that into the forefront of contemporary discourse once more. I was excited to be a part of the team again. It was a really meaningful moment for me. I’m happy that I was able to participate on that project.
I also hope that it can highlight the importance of photography in Nigeria. Obviously, our collecting habits lean towards painting, but photography does not get as much love. I mean, that’s global, but Nigeria is quite bad at it. I hope this helps revive and spark greater interest in the history of our modern photographers, as well as in the contemporary photographers who are creating new work across the continent today.
How was planning and putting together “Under One Sky” for Abu Dhabi Art 2025
It was actually quite easy, which is unusual for exhibitions, but the preparation started fairly early. I had known about it earlier in the year, and the works were ready on time. The curatorial bit was challenging because I had never been to the Middle East before then.
It was also very research-intensive because I wanted artists who felt consensually Nigerian, but also would be able to bridge the gap and show that our stories and our experiences are global. It required careful consideration across cultures.
I thought Samuel Nnorom’s work did a good job of speaking to the rich textile history of Nigeria, but also the Gulf region’s legacy of collective action for the environment. And then Joseph Aina’s art gave a message of hope. His works were contemplative, which I thought would translate really well.
The experience of planning was different, of course, because the two governments organised this initiative.
We shared the booth with O’DA art gallery. Coordinating and collaborating with another gallery on a fair is not something I’ve done before. Abu Dhabi was the second art fair we’d participated in. That was also a lovely experience planning and working on it together. The art in Abu Dhabi and the UAE was honestly lovely. I was very proud to represent my country and represent my artists on that stage.
What are you most excited about right now, and why?
We’re excited about opening a space, but I can’t share too much about it. 1897 will have a home within Lagos, but it won’t be a home just for us. It will be a space that contributes to the general ecosystem and culture within Lagos. I’m very excited about that, and we also have the Cape Town Art Fair coming up in February 2026.
We also redesigned our websites, and it took me ages to do the copy, because I was literally thinking about every single word. I approached the website revamp as an opportunity to refine our goals, vision, mission, and core values. Our goal is to serve as a connector, linking Africa with its diaspora and the wider world through art — and that is genuinely my aim with this practice. I want there to be artistic exchange and discourse.
I want us to start with art and see that the links that we’ve established have actually flourished and gone on to have a wider impact. And I want to see more dialogue between different parts of the Black diaspora. Of course, Nigeria, East Africa, but there are Black people everywhere, Latin America and more. I want to deepen my art collection. I think it’s incredibly important for people to collect art, but it is especially vital for Black people to do so — to own our narratives and preserve our histories.
I think that it would be great if the business of 1897 was actually instrumental in changing how people think and what people value within Nigeria, and also as a whole. We need more people choosing to buy a painting instead of a watch that would be fantastic.
What skills do you use most in your line of work, and which ones do you use every day?
I need resilience for everything, but also use strategic thinking daily. I say resilience because I don’t know any work that is commission-based or culture-based, where you are at the whims of people that doesn’t require resilience.
You need to wake up every day and choose to do it. It’s probably not going to be very successful right at the start, but you need to motivate yourself to get up and go.
I’ve often spent money on exhibitions and made little money in return. I’ve actually never seen this type of business where you can work your ass off, and the return isn’t guaranteed or looks different from what you imagined.
I’ve learnt to get over things fast, be strategic and move on. There is a lot of people management and emotional intelligence. You’re working with different personality types, and you need to bring the best in them.
Whether you’re guiding your collectors or clients on their journey, or developing an artist, it’s important to strike a balance between honesty, warmth, and firmness. There’s so much emotional intelligence and communication I see that goes into this. On a day-to-day basis, the skills that I use the most and value are writing skills for communication and research.
Which exhibition that you’ve curated has challenged you the most, and what did you learn from the process?
It was my first exhibition for 1897. The first exhibition I created was all by myself. It was also my first exhibition outside of Nigeria. It was the most expensive exhibition I’ve done to date. At that time, it was also the highest number of artists I’ve ever worked with. Honestly, I don’t think there was anything that was not difficult about the exhibition.
I was constantly having to move in faith and be like, “It’ll be done.” It was a blend of moving in faith and a lot of prayer. I don’t think I was very Christian before I started the exhibition. I currently do Bible study twice a week. That exhibition taught me a great deal about myself, what I needed to succeed, and it also gave me a lot of hope for the future.
It showed me that I could do difficult things and that I would be fine. I just needed to work smarter. It showed me that wins are not always initially financial, and to win, there are so many other ways to prove yourself. It showed me the importance of community, and community being the people who showed up for me.
It showed me that I am onto something with the need for connections across the black diaspora. That the ideas in my head are valid and that other people can resonate with them. It showed me that I can’t do everything by myself, and trying to do that would kill me.
I’m thrilled that it was my first exhibition with the 1897 Gallery. I haven’t thought about the bad aspects of it since they happened. I suppose it comes down to being resilient, forgiving yourself, and moving on quickly. Learn your lesson and move on.
