DEBORAH SEGUN: WHERE I BELONG

Pearl Lam Galleries, SHANGHAI—70 Square Metres, is delighted to present Where I Belong, an exhibition by Nigerian contemporary artist Deborah Segun.

January 3 - March 1, 2025

Her series of works are drawn from focusing on the idea of change and adaptability and share her nostalgic experience of moving back to the United Kingdom, a place the artist once considered to be a home away from home, but which now feels entirely different to her due to change and time. Contrary to her earlier experience, everything is fast-paced nowadays, and time waits for no one. According to Segun, this often means “one does not bask in the moment and enjoy things for what they simply are.” Hounded by an irreconcilable longing for a pleasant past with the daunting reality of the present, she deliberates upon the circumstances that have necessitated the change.

Trying to reconnect to a familiar environment that she once thought of as home demands a conscious focus and meditation for the artist to understand the changes that have rendered her past memory short-lived. Where I Belongunveils a body of work illustrative of Segun’s journey of withdrawal to a somewhat monotonous, quiet and calmer lifestyle in contrast to an emergent hustle and bustle. It documents the process of her starting all over and reprogramming herself to be more in tune with her surroundings, which led her to engage with her “inner child” and confront past traumas.

Segun adopts a deconstructive approach to project fragmented female faces and figures as silhouettes in contemplation and repose. Her paintings are rendered in a minimalist delicateness that alternates pale shades of colours outlining her subjects with flatness and calm.

An advocate of self-awareness and well-being, Segun encourages women to strive towards fulfilment, while referencing her personal experience as a perfect model.