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Toyin Ojih Odutola

TOYIN OJIH ODUTOLA

U22 – Adijatu Straße Hamburger Bahnhof 13 June 2025–4 January 2026 Berlin
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Press Release

Hamburger Bahnhof presents figurative drawings by Toyin Ojih Odutola that interplay between history and representation. These narrative portraits trace the lives of various characters and incorporate every day or monumental settings, often interwoven with architectural details. Ojih Odutola will transform the museum’s east cabinet into “Adijatu Straße,” a station on the fictional U22 underground line, in order to thematise the interplay of movement and history.

Shaped by the artist’s upbringing as a West African woman in the American South, Ojih Odutola’s work examines social and political dynamics through the vehicle of skin, the fluidity of expression, and the meaning of darkness and light. The artist’s first solo exhibition in Germany will show around 25 works drawn on paper, board and linen.

Toyin Ojih Odutola (born 1985 in Ife, Nigeria, lives and works in New York, USA) places the human figure at the centre of her work and uses traditional drawing media such as ink, charcoal, and pastel to create large-scale, intricate portraits. Ojih Odutola constructs complex fictional mythologies in her narrative works, challenging viewers to question power dynamics, colonial history, and perceptions of African expression and sexual orientation. She has recently presented exhibitions at Kunsthalle Basel (Switzerland), SFMOMA (California, USA), Barbican Centre (United Kingdom), Whitney Museum (New York, USA), and her work was featured in the Nigerian Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale 2024.

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About the Artist

Toyin Ojih Odutola is a Nigerian-American artist acclaimed for her intricate drawings and works on paper. Renowned for her innovative mark-making and narrative approach, Ojih Odutola’s practice reimagines the possibilities of portraiture and storytelling, exploring themes of identity, socio-economic structures, and the complexities of representation.

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Also Exhibiting at Hamburger Bahnhof

All Exhibitions
Saâdane Afif
SAÂDANE AFIF Five Preludes Hamburger Bahnhof 12 December 2025–13 September 2026 Berlin
Group Exhibition
GROUP EXHIBITION Museum In Motion: A Collection for the 21st Century Hamburger Bahnhof 6 September 2024–26 July 2026 Berlin
Joseph Beuys
JOSEPH BEUYS Works from the Nationalgalerie Collection Hamburger Bahnhof From 12 April 2024 Berlin
About the Gallery
Housed in a former railway station, the Hamburger Bahnhof is the third location of Berlin’s Nationalgalerie. Following extensive renovations the museum was opened in 1996 with a focus on art since 1960. The museum is distinguished by its holdings of seminal 20th Century artists including John Cage, Bill Viola, Peter Campus, Wolf Vostell, Rebecca Horn, Carolee Schneeman, Reinhard Mucha, Marcel Broodthaers, Fritz Rahmann, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Johan Grimonprez and Aernout Mik.

In 2002, the collection was enlarged significantly by the acquisition of Egidio Marzona’s study collection of Conceptual Art and Arte Povera. It is also home to the Joseph Beuys Media Archive. In 2004 the museum was further extended to house the Friedrich Christian Flick collection of contemporary art which includes a large and virtually unique collection of works by Bruce Nauman. The collection is also renowned for its holdings of German painting including works by influential artists such as Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, Georg Baselitz and also younger painters including, Neo Rauch, Daniel Richter and Belgian artist Luc Tuymans.
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Address
Invalidenstraße 50-51
Berlin
Germany
Opening Hours
Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 6pm
Thursday, 10am – 8pm
(1)
Berlin Invalidenstraße 50-51
Hamburger Bahnhof contemporary art institution in Berlin Germany
Hamburger Bahnhof
Invalidenstraße 50-51, Berlin, Germany
+49 3039 783411
http://www.hamburgerbahnhof.de

Opening hours
Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 6pm
Thursday, 10am – 8pm
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