Peter Uka

Peter Uka (b. 1975, Nigeria; lives and works in Cologne, Germany) devises figurative paintings which draw from his childhood memories of Nigeria. With a classical training in realistic figuration, Uka combines images from his memory with references to fashions, objects, and trends popular in the late 20th century to convey universality and innate timelessness of human emotion.

Scenes of growing up in Nigeria, including elements like afro hairstyles,bell-bottom jeans, bright mannerisms, and local customs are captured in vibrant, visual narrative.  His compositions also capture international trends  and the ways globalization connects countries around the world. These narratives uncover historical precedents of cultural signifiers connecting the two countries—Nigeria and Germany--that Uka calls home, while reminding the rest of the world of collective reciprocity, closeness, and connection.  

Uka completed his studies in 2017 at the Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf (Germany) and has exhibited at the DIDI Museum (Lagos, Nigeria), National Museum Onikan (Lagos, Nigeria), Goethe-Institut (Düsseldorf, Germany), Kunsthaus Mettmann (Mettmann, Germany), FLAG Art Foundation (New York, NY), The Long Museum (Shanghai, China), Royal Academy of Arts (London, UK), and the Cameron Art Museum (Wilmington, NC). Most recently, his work was included in the latest hanging of the collection at the K20 Düsseldorf Kinstsammlung (Düsseldorf, Germany) (2025), and in Along the Color Line: Traces of a Transatlantic Modernism at the Museum Ludwig (Cologne, Germany) (2026-2027).

His work is included in the collections of the FLAG Art Foundation (New York, NY), CCS Bard Hessel Museum of Art (Annadale-on-Hudson, NY), the Long Museum (Shanghai, China), the Block Museum of Art (Evanston, IL), and the K20 Düsseldorf Kinstsammlung (Düsseldorf, Germany).