About

  • Péjú Oshin, Peju Oshin

    Photo by Dreph

Péjú Oshin is a British-Nigerian curator, writer and educator born and raised in London. With her visionary approach, she is redefining the boundaries of art, style, and culture, while championing the narratives of the African diaspora and exploring the depths of liminal theory.

Péjú's career in the arts began in 2015. Throughout her journey, she has displayed an unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of artistic expression. Her exhibitions and public programming have engaged audiences worldwide and include the Workshop Artists in Residence programme, curator of Stillness: We Invoke the Black to Rest (2020), Beyond Boundaries (2021), Late at Tate Britain: Life Between Islands (2021), Late at Tate Britain: Hew Locke (2022) and leading Barbican’s first Young Curators Group (2019-2020). Notably, Péjú curated the critically acclaimed Gagosian exhibition, Rites of Passage (2023) uniting nineteen artists with shared stories of migration. Her curatorial practice transcends conventional norms, inviting viewers to traverse uncharted territories and creating space for critical dialogue.

With a background in Architecture & Design, Péjú brings a unique perspective to her work, seamlessly blending her academic acumen with her passion for the arts. Her journey led her to complete a PgCert in Academic Practice in Art, Design, and Communication at the University of the Arts London, where she earned her status as an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA). As an Associate Lecturer at Central Saint Martins, Péjú has shared the breadth of her knowledge from art to architecture and fashion history with emerging artists and designers. She has also delivered guest lectures across various colleges within the university. In 2020, she served as a visiting Critic at the Royal College of Art for the School of Painting.

As writer, she has authored texts for artists, which have been featured in exhibitions and solo presentations internationally. Additionally, Péjú has been commissioned to write for various platforms. In 2021, she published her first collection of poetry and prose titled "Between Words & Space" (2021), delving into themes of performativity, vulnerability, relationships, culture, liminality, and the concept of home.

Beyond the confines of galleries and classrooms, Péjú a vocal advocate, a mentor to emerging talent. She actively participates in committees and serves as a judge for cultural initiatives, ING Discerning Eye (2023), JW Anderson X AWITA (2022), Huxley-Parlour’s fourbythree (2021), The Other Art Fair (2021), and the Cultural residency at the Institute of Imagination (2019) highlight her commitment to reshaping the artistic landscape and amplifying voices that have long been marginalized.

In 2021, she was shortlisted for the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list in the Arts & Culture category. She was also nominated and selected as one of fifteen members of AWITA (Art Women in the Arts) sponsored by Martin Millers Gin, the Adara Foundation, and Hauser & Wirth in the same year.

Currently, Péjú serves as Associate Director at Gagosian (2022-Present) and is a member of the ArtFund Curatorial Diversity Steering Group. Her previous roles include Curator: Young People’s Programmes at Tate (2018-2022) and Chair of Trustees at Peckham Platform.

 

ADDITIONAL BIOGRAPHIES

50 WORD BIO

Péjú Oshin is a British-Nigerian curator, writer and lecturer based in London. Her work sits at the intersection of art, style & culture with a focus on liminal theory through working with visual artists, brands and people globally.

100-150 WORD BIO

Péjú Oshin is a British-Nigerian curator, writer and lecturer born and raised in London. Her work sits at the intersection of art, style & culture with a keen interest in liminal theory and diasporic narratives. Core to her practice is working with visual artists, brands and people globally.

Péjú has a history of supporting young and emerging artists and cultural producers through her work at Tate, Barbican and Wellcome Collection and others. She is an Associate Lecturer at Central Saint Martins having taught on courses in the Fashion and Culture & Enterprise departments. She is the author of Between Words & Space (2021) a collection of poetry and prose and was shortlisted for the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list in the Arts & Culture category in 2021.

Péjú serves as Associate Director at Gagosian (2022-Present) and is a member of the ArtFund Curatorial Diversity Steering Group. Her previous roles include Curator: Young People’s Programmes at Tate (2018-2022) and Chair of Trustees at Peckham Platform.