Nigerian photographer, Bukunmi Oyewole, opens solo exhibition in Wales

Nigerian photographer and visual artist, Bukunmi Oyewole, has opened his debut solo exhibition, Living on the Edge, at YMa in Pontypridd, Wales.

The exhibition opened on October 2, as part of FfotoCymru 2026, Wales’ international photography festival.

It brings together photographic work made in Nigeria and The Gambia, looking at how communities experience and respond to environmental change.

The exhibition features four bodies of work: Sow. Hoe. Grow., Live and Let Live, Ground Without Rest and Vanishing Fields. Sow. Hoe. Grow. looks at food growing and home gardening, while Live and Let Live follows communities living alongside environmental pressures, including deforestation, and the ways people continue to make a life within those conditions. Ground Without Rest focuses on land, extraction and the efects of human activity on the environment. Vanishing Fields looks at rice farming in The Gambia, where saltwater intrusion is affecting agricultural land and making it increasingly difficult for farmers to grow rice. Oyewole has spent several years photographing communities and everyday life across Africa.

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His work often looks at the relationship between people, their environment and the places they call home.

Speaking about the exhibition, Oyewole said: “When we talk about climate change, we often hear about statistics, temperatures, rising sea levels or deforestation. But behind all of these things are people whose daily lives are changing.

I wanted to use photography to tell these stories, educate people and help them visualise what these conversations about climate change really mean for communities and their everyday lives.”

The photographs in Living on the Edge were made across Nigeria and The Gambia. Bringing the work together in Wales creates a space to share these stories with a new audience.

The exhibition has received support from Arts Council of Wales and is being presented at YMa as part of FfotoCymru 2026. The opening brought together visitors, artists, members of the local community and people connected to the project, with guests viewing the photographs and speaking with Oyewole about the work.

Living on the Edge continues at YMa, Pontypridd, throughout October 2026.