About
Yaruya — Association for the Promotion of Independent Artistic Activity is a nonprofit organization based in Graz. It promotes artistic activity across all fields of art by facilitating projects, exhibitions, festivals and events, acting as an intermediary between institutions and artists, and supporting artists in realizing and presenting their work.
The association achieves its goals through organizing events, collaborating with museums, providing direct support to artists, and funding its activities through event proceeds, sponsors, grants and donations.
Samson Ogiamien is a sculptor based in Graz and Yaruya's featured artist. Working across carved wood, plaster, cast bronze and bent wire, his sculptures move between Yoruba and Igbo visual traditions — Olokun, Uli, Agbada — and the figurative language of European portrait sculpture, seen in his commissioned bust of the Styrian writer Peter Rosegger.
His work has been shown in and around Graz since at least 2005, including the exhibitions Agony of the Beloved (2010) and Seized Opportunity (2011). A fuller biography is in preparation.
View the artworksOgiamien's longer-running projects range from solely his own — like the bronze Iyagbon Mask at the centre of the touring performance Iyagbon's Mirror — to collaborations with companies, museums and fellow artists. The Projects and News pages list both: his own work in full, and collaborative work credited briefly, with a link to ogiamien.at for complete documentation.
The association's own name comes from one such collaboration: the 2016 exhibition "Yaruya — The sculptor Samson Ogiamien between African tradition and European reality", staged with the Universalmuseum Joanneum at Kunsthaus Graz.
Through his many commissions, public art projects and exhibitions Samson Ogiamien has developed an innate sensitivity to, and mastery of, a variety of media. Inspired by material qualities and how they affect an environment, he often chooses — but is not limited to — concrete, metal, resin, plaster, found objects and recycled materials. His studio is skilled at overcoming technical obstacles, regardless of scale or materials.
Commission a portrait or sculpture — Interested in having a fine-art sculpture created just for you? You might know precisely what you want commissioned, or you might love the idea of a unique sculpture made specifically for you without knowing exactly what it should look like. Samson Ogiamien works one-to-one with you to create a design that reflects your personality and style. Dedicated to extremely accurate life-size full-figure portraits and busts, he works from photographs to capture not only the detailed likeness and physical features of the individual but also their unique character and spirit.
Bronze is called the "king of metals" because it lasts for centuries: a portrait cast in glowing bronze becomes a cherished family heirloom, an inspiring memorial or a prestigious tribute.
Enquire about a commissionExamples of commissioned work
Yaruya
