TAAG Gallery, also known as Tribes Art Africa Gallery, has unveiled 15 artists participating in the TAAG Art Competition 2026, alongside an international jury that will determine the outcome of the competition.
The artists are being presented through an online exhibition titled “A Space Called Rest,” which opened on September 17 and will run until December 30, 2026.
Built around the competition theme, “The Best Artwork for the Bedroom,” the exhibition challenges participating artists to look beyond the conventional idea of choosing artwork simply to decorate a bedroom.
Instead, the artists were asked to explore what happens when art becomes part of one of the most private spaces in a person’s life.
The resulting works examine themes including rest, intimacy, vulnerability, memory, dreams, spirituality, identity and sanctuary, using painting and mixed media to explore the emotional relationship between an artwork and the person living with it.
For TAAG Gallery, the project is also intended to provide greater international visibility for contemporary African artists by presenting their works to collectors, curators, cultural leaders and other audiences beyond the traditional gallery environment.
15 Artists Selected for Exhibition
The participating artists are Susan Onyedikachi John, John Alogi, Moses Bamba, Nelson Etok, John Ayobamidele, Samuel Inalegwu, Kingsley Nwangborogwu, Don Okuchukwu Eseagwu, Samson Kolawole Oluwadare, Adabekee Chisom Nichodemus, Mark C. Duke, Temitope Victoria Ogunwale, Isidore Ukemeobong, Austin George Dorgu and Kingsley Oghenekaro Omodigono.
Their entries offer different interpretations of the central question posed by the competition: what makes an artwork suitable for a deeply personal space such as the bedroom?
Among the works featured are Susan Onyedikachi John’s Where We Mend, Moses Bamba’s Lullaby in Veils, Samuel Inalegwu’s Love & Affection and Don Okuchukwu Eseagwu’s Tales by Moonlight.
Others include Samson Kolawole Oluwadare’s Emerald Reverie, Temitope Victoria Ogunwale’s The Rest We Resist, Austin George Dorgu’s Safe Ground and Kingsley Oghenekaro Omodigono’s Brand New Day.
Rather than imposing a single interpretation of what bedroom art should represent, the competition allows the artists to approach the concept through their individual experiences and artistic practices.
That creates a collection in which the bedroom becomes more than a physical setting. It becomes a space through which questions of personal identity, emotional safety, affection, reflection and memory can be examined.
International Jury to Evaluate Works
The competition is being evaluated by an international panel drawn from art, collecting, curatorial practice, business, culture and community leadership.
TAAG Gallery listed members of the judging panel as Eide Ekeoba, Annette Dhannie, Louis Collins-Ejeh, Elijah Ras, Gail Patterson, Herb Gray, Obi Asika, Chenoia and Oliver Enwonwu.
The gallery also named Neeraj Batra and CCH Pounder as standby jurors.
According to the organisers, Ekeoba, Dhannie, Collins-Ejeh and Ras have already submitted their selections, while the remaining judging process is ongoing.
Consequently, no winner has yet been announced, with the final result expected only after the judging process has been completed.
The organisers’ decision to draw jurors from different professional and cultural backgrounds is designed to introduce multiple perspectives into the assessment of works dealing with such a subjective theme.
Exploring Art Beyond Decoration
Founder and Head Curator of TAAG Gallery, Rodney Asikhia, said the concept behind the exhibition emerged from a desire to examine how people relate emotionally to artworks placed within their most personal environments.
“The bedroom may be the most personal room in our lives,” Asikhia said.
He explained that the competition was designed to encourage artists to consider more than whether a particular piece aesthetically complements a room.
“We wanted artists to think about what happens when an artwork enters that space—not simply whether it matches the room, but whether someone can develop an emotional relationship with it,” he said.
According to him, A Space Called Rest is ultimately about “art we can live with.”
That idea shifts attention from the traditional gallery experience, where visitors encounter artworks temporarily, towards the experience of owning and repeatedly interacting with a work in a private environment.
An artwork placed in a bedroom may be encountered at the beginning and end of each day, giving it a different relationship with its owner from one displayed in a public or transitional space.
Spotlight on Contemporary African Artists
Beyond the competition itself, TAAG Gallery said the initiative is intended to strengthen visibility for contemporary African artists.
Digital exhibitions can potentially extend the geographical reach of artists by allowing collectors and art enthusiasts outside their immediate markets to discover their work without visiting a physical exhibition.
The gallery is therefore inviting collectors and art enthusiasts to explore the complete selection of 15 works, learn more about the participating artists and support pieces with which they develop a personal connection.
The exhibition is being presented exclusively online and is also available through Artsy.
Running until December 30, 2026, A Space Called Rest combines competition with a broader examination of how contemporary African art can occupy intimate everyday spaces.
As the remaining jurors complete their assessments, attention will turn to which of the 15 works ultimately emerges from a competition built around an unusually personal question: what artwork would someone want to live, rest and wake up with every day?
