Yesomi Umolu

Yesomi Umolu
Name	Yesomi Umolu
Birth place	Lagos, Nigeria
Occupation	Curator, writer, educator
Known for	Curatorial practice addressing race, migration, architecture, urbanism
Notable works	"The Way We Live Now", "A Fête Worse Than Death"

Yesomi Umolu is a Nigerian-born curator, writer, and educator whose work centers on race, migration, architecture, and the politics of public space. She has curated exhibitions and public programs across North America and Europe, collaborated with museums, galleries, universities, and cultural institutions, and contributed essays and criticism on contemporary art, urbanism, and institutional practice. Umolu’s projects frequently engage artists, architects, activists, and communities to interrogate histories of colonization, displacement, and spatial injustice.

Early life and education

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Umolu completed early schooling in Lagos before moving to the United Kingdom to pursue higher education. She studied architecture and urbanism, receiving formal training that combined design, history, and theory; institutions associated with architecture and planning in the UK and Europe feature in her formative education. Her interdisciplinary training bridged architectural practice and curatorial theory, influencing subsequent work at institutions concerned with art, architecture, and cities.

Curatorial career

Umolu has held curatorial and leadership positions at a range of cultural organizations, connecting contemporary art with architectural discourse and urban studies. She has worked with museums and contemporary art centers in cities known for robust cultural sectors, collaborating with curators, directors, and program coordinators. Her practice often foregrounds site-specificity and public engagement, partnering with galleries, municipal programs, and cultural trusts to activate both institutional galleries and outdoor sites. In addition to institutional roles, she has contributed to independent curatorial projects and advisory boards associated with biennials, art fairs, and municipal art initiatives.

Major exhibitions and projects

Umolu’s portfolio includes group exhibitions, solo shows, and city-wide public programs that address social and spatial injustices. Notable projects have involved commissioning new work by contemporary practitioners and staging thematic surveys that bring together artists, architects, and writers. Her exhibitions have appeared in venues linked to major contemporary art networks, public art programs in metropolitan areas, and university-affiliated galleries. Themes across projects include migration, archival recovery, urban renewal, and climate justice, often featuring multidisciplinary collaborators from sculpture, installation, film, performance, and landscape architecture.

Writing and criticism

As a writer and critic, Umolu has published essays, catalogue texts, and critical reviews in journals, magazines, and edited volumes that intersect contemporary art, architecture, and urban studies. Her writing engages with works by artists and architects, referencing histories and debates circulating through museums, biennials, and cultural festivals. She has contributed to publications tied to major institutions, academic presses, and international art periodicals, producing texts that analyze exhibitions, propose curatorial frameworks, and critique institutional practices. Her critical practice dialogues with scholarship produced by curators, critics, and theorists operating within transnational networks of museums, galleries, and foundations.

Academic and teaching roles

Umolu has taught and lectured at universities and art schools where programs combine art history, architecture, and curatorial studies. She has led seminars, workshops, and studio critiques that bring together students from programs in contemporary art, architectural history, urban planning, and cultural studies. Her academic engagements include guest lectures at institutions famous for arts and architecture, participation in symposia organized by research centers, and mentorship roles within residency programs and postgraduate curricula. These activities connect students with practitioners and writers active in museum practice, public art, and critical design research.

Awards and recognition

Umolu’s curatorial and scholarly contributions have been acknowledged by peers, professional organizations, and cultural institutions. She has received fellowships, grants, and invitations that recognize innovative programming at the intersection of art and urbanism, and her projects have been discussed in national and international media and scholarly forums. Her leadership in curatorial practice has positioned her among contemporary curators addressing structural inequality through exhibitions and public programs, leading to honors from art councils, cultural foundations, and academic networks.

Category:Living people Category:Nigerian curators Category:Museum professionals Category:Contemporary art curators