Luke Agada – When the Center Holds

Sean Kelly, 475 10th Avenue, 10018, New York City

September 11, 2026 – October 31, 2026

Sean Kelly presents When the Center Holds, the first solo exhibition of Nigerian artist Luke Agada with the gallery. The exhibition features a new collection of paintings and drawings that delve into themes of meaning and belonging amid significant historical and cultural shifts. Agada's work examines contemporary identity through globalization, migration, and postcolonial perspectives. His compositions showcase incorporeal figures, fragmented architectures, and biomorphic forms set in dreamlike landscapes that defy fixed geography. Inspired by William Butler Yeats’ poem, The Second Coming, Agada offers a more hopeful interpretation of darkness, viewing the center not as a fixed authority but as a dynamic space where memory endures, identity adapts, and belonging persists despite displacement. The exhibition emphasizes subtle forms of resilience, suggesting that coherence is an ongoing process shaped by memory, imagination, and connection.