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Collins Obijiaku’s solo exhibition, “Wherever You Are, Remember Me,” is scheduled to open Nov. 7 at Roberts Projects in Los Angeles and run through Dec. 19. The show will include portraits and still lifes, with paintings that draw on the artist’s memories of Nigeria and his move to Chicago.
Artist Collins Obijiaku will present a new solo exhibition, “Wherever You Are, Remember Me,” at Roberts Projects in Los Angeles from Nov. 7 to Dec. 19, bringing together portraits and still lifes shaped by memory, community and the experience of moving between places. The exhibition’s announcement comes as Obijiaku, who grew up in Nigeria’s Kaduna region, has recently moved to Chicago.
The exhibition is set to include a selection of Obijiaku’s oil paintings, among them “Rengaji” and “Portrait of Benedicta Rufus,” alongside a suite of still lifes. The works use detailed lines and broad, color-blocked backgrounds; figures often face the viewer directly. The source material identifies “Rengaji” as a 2026 oil-and-charcoal painting on canvas measuring 66.1 by 79.1 inches, and “Portrait of Benedicta Rufus” as a 2026 oil-and-charcoal work on canvas measuring 27.6 by 39.4 inches.
According to the report by Colossal, Obijiaku draws on individuals within his community and on ordinary sensory experiences that can call up the past. Smells associated with food or the sound of a familiar place can prompt memories, while a stranger seen in a new city may seem to recall someone far away. The paintings bring these forms of recognition into images that, as the gallery’s statement describes them, carry an intimate, dreamlike quality.
“Rengaji” also connects more than one visual and personal reference. Colossal reports that the painting nods to Renaissance works in the Christian tradition, including those by Fra Angelico, while recalling Obijiaku’s childhood memories of crowds gathering for royal processions in Nigeria. The exhibition’s full selection and installation details were not supplied in the report.
Memory Shapes the Portraits
The exhibition offers a focused look at how portraiture can hold personal and shared histories. Obijiaku’s subjects are inspired by people in his community, while the settings and references bring together experiences associated with Nigeria, Chicago and art history. That combination gives the paintings a specific connection to place without limiting their subject to a single location or period.
The move from Kaduna to Chicago is relevant to the work because the source describes Obijiaku grappling with the emotional effects of distance and adjusting to a new city. The gallery’s account frames the paintings as recollections rather than straightforward records of a setting. For viewers, that makes the exhibition’s subject not only who is pictured, but also how familiar people and places remain present when an artist is far from them.
Including still lifes alongside portraits also broadens the exhibition’s attention to everyday life. The source links ordinary triggers—such as food smells and sounds—with sudden memories. That connection helps explain how the show can address community through both depicted people and objects associated with daily experience.
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From Kaduna to Chicago
Obijiaku was raised in Nigeria’s Kaduna region and recently moved to Chicago, according to the source report. It describes the paintings as drawing on individuals in his community and on the artist’s reflections about distance and settling into an unfamiliar place. The report does not give a date for the move or further biographical details.
Colossal identifies the works as primarily oil paintings, with several using oil and charcoal on canvas or linen. Examples pictured or named in the report include “Yene I” (2023), “In Good Company” (2026), “Portrait of Silvanus” (2026), and “Aunt Vivian and Coach” (2022). The article says that a handful of the works discussed, including “Rengaji” and “Portrait of Benedicta Rufus,” will be in the Los Angeles exhibition; it does not state that every work pictured will be shown.
Roberts Projects’ statement, quoted by Colossal, connects the paintings’ settings with memory and describes them as intimate and dreamlike. The exhibition is scheduled to open Nov. 7 and close Dec. 19. The source identifies Los Angeles as the venue city but does not provide further exhibition logistics in the supplied material.
“Seen through a sentimental lens, these settings lend the paintings an intimate, dreamlike quality, as though recalling a presence from memory.”
— Roberts Projects, in a statement quoted by Colossal
Exhibition Details Still Pending
The source confirms the exhibition dates and city, but the supplied report does not give the complete artwork list, opening hours, admission information or details about public programming. It also does not specify whether the exhibition will include works beyond the named portraits and still lifes.
The source describes Obijiaku’s recent move to Chicago and the emotional themes associated with it, but offers no direct interview with the artist or further account of how the move has affected particular works. The gallery’s statement provides an interpretation of the paintings; it should not be treated as a direct quotation from Obijiaku.
Los Angeles Exhibition Opens Nov. 7
“Wherever You Are, Remember Me” is scheduled to open at Roberts Projects on Nov. 7 and remain on view through Dec. 19. The source names “Rengaji” and “Portrait of Benedicta Rufus” among the works planned for the exhibition, alongside a group of still lifes. Further visitor information and the final exhibition checklist were not included in the report.
Key Questions
When and where is Collins Obijiaku’s exhibition?
“Wherever You Are, Remember Me” is scheduled to run at Roberts Projects in Los Angeles from Nov. 7 through Dec. 19, 2026.
What kinds of works will the exhibition include?
The exhibition will include portraits and a suite of still lifes. The source specifically names “Rengaji” and “Portrait of Benedicta Rufus” as works planned for the show.
What themes inform Obijiaku’s paintings?
The report connects the work to memory, community and distance, including the artist’s move from Nigeria’s Kaduna region to Chicago. It also describes everyday sights, sounds and smells as prompts for recollection.
What does ‘Rengaji’ refer to?
According to Colossal, “Rengaji” draws on both Renaissance Christian painting and Obijiaku’s childhood memories of royal processions in Nigeria, where crowds gathered to see the king.
Source: thisiscolossal.com
