David Otaru (b. 1991, Nigeria)

David Otaru is a contemporary visual artist and painter from Edo State, Nigeria, living and working in Lagos. A self-taught artist with a background in English and Literature Education from the University of Benin, his work blends traditional and digital techniques to explore perception, memory, and altered realities.

Otaru is recognized for his distinctive use of negative imagery, in which he inverts colors to distort perception, challenging viewers to engage with his work in unconventional ways. While his earlier works explored socio-economic structures and everyday life, his recent focus has been a deeply introspective investigation of mental health, particularly ADHD. Through fragmented compositions, shifting perspectives, and surreal distortions, he captures the emotional complexities of neurodivergence—disruptions in time, hyperfocus, restlessness, and the tension between clarity and chaos.

His paintings often contain hidden layers that reveal alternate dimensions when viewed through digital tools, such as a phone camera set to negative mode, inviting audiences to question what is visible and what remains unseen. This interplay between the seen and the obscured mirrors the experience of ADHD itself—where details are both overwhelming and elusive, and perception is in constant flux.

Otaru has exhibited both locally and internationally, including solo exhibitions at Rele Gallery (Lagos and Los Angeles), Felix Art Fair (Los Angeles), and From Lagos to Seoul with Voda Art Gallery (South Korea), among others.