Where Eden Was Last Seen | Exhibition Press Release
“Where Eden Was Last Seen”: A Poetic Reflection on Displacement in a Solo Exhibition by Nigerian Painter Samuel Semako Vittu
On Thursday, July 17 at 6 PM, TUMO Gallery (Užupio g. 28, Vilnius) invites you to the opening of Nigerian artist Samuel Semako Vittu’s solo exhibition “Where Eden Was Last Seen”.
The exhibition explores one of the most pressing issues of our time—forced migration, emerging from climate change, ecological collapse, food insecurity, and armed conflict. Within a space that evokes Eden, Vittu—the winner of TUMO Gallery’s 2025 open call—invites viewers to reflect on fragile spaces, both physical and internal; on the quiet erosion of the familiar world; and on the alternative ways suggested by the animal kingdom to reimagine paradise on Earth.
Guided in his early years by his uncle—a professional painter—and later through formal study, Samuel Semako Vittu developed a distinct and symbolically charged visual language, where no element is accidental. Central to his practice is the depiction of the animal world. The exhibition presents anthropomorphic paintings in which human and animal forms merge into hybrid bodies. These figures become vessels for narratives of lost Eden—stories of physical displacement and the loss of home, cultural memory, tradition, and identity. The often fragmented, barren landscapes recall ecological catastrophe, social rupture, and the haunting aftermath of conflict.
“The scarred ground in my paintings echoes the aftermath of the tragic killings in Benue State, Nigeria, while the submerged architectural elements recall the devastating floods in China. These are not direct representations—they are poetic calls, awakening both personal and collective grief,” says the artist.
In contrast to a human world marked by alienation and the urge to dominate, the animal realm offers a model of being—Eden not as a lost place, but as a state still within reach. In these paintings, animal forms become mirrors of the human soul, guides and teachers—inviting us to turn toward the world we belong to. They call for the recovery of lost ways of relating: intuitive, reciprocal, humble, and rooted in respect.
The exhibition’s central work, the triptych “Emerald Accent”, draws on the rich tradition of sacred altarpieces dating back to the 14th century. Through its layered composition, it leads the viewer on a journey in search of Eden—a space where nature and the divine meet, and humanity encounters hope.
Within the exhibition, the gallery becomes a constructed yet strangely familiar terrain—a garden symbolizing Eden. This imagined space invites reflection and pause: to recognize abandoned and degraded territories—both within and around us—and to begin the difficult but necessary process of restoring connection: with nature, with one another, and with ourselves.
The exhibition and opening event are free and open to all.
Exhibition opening: July 17, 2025, 6 PM
Exhibition runs until: August 17, 2025
Venue:
TUMO Gallery (Užupio g. 28, Vilnius)
Opening hours:
Thu–Fri: 1 PM – 7 PM
Sat–Sun: 12 PM – 6 PM