Nigerian artist Muyiwa Adeyanju will have his solo exhibition, "Roots and Routes", on display September 10 through October 17 at the Western Illinois University Art Gallery. 

A closing reception for the artist will be held Thursday, October 17, 4:30-6:00 p.m. The artist will speak about his work at 5:00 pm.

Muyiwa Adeyanju, born in 1997 in Kwara State, Nigeria, holds an MFA in Drawing and Painting from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. His lifelong fascination with figures has honed his skill in accurately replicating them. Despite initially earning a National Diploma in Architecture and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Geophysics, he worked diligently to establish himself as an artist. In fall 2021, he was admitted to the SIUC Art Department.

During his three years in graduate school, Muyiwa received numerous awards and recognition. He won the prestigious Windgate Research Scholarship Award, was featured in New American Paintings and Friend of the Artist publications and was honored as the Best Graduate Student in the School of Media Arts and Communications.

Muyiwa employs oil, acrylic paints, and Dutch wax textiles (African fabric) to create collage figurative compositions. His work explores themes of identity, neocolonialism, family memories, and contemporary social issues. Having left his full-time academic position at a private Nigerian university, Muyiwa is now focusing on artworks that narrate his and others' experiences of migrating from their homeland to other countries.