Móyòsóré Martins

Móyòsóré Martins (alias Móyò) is a New York-based Nigerian contemporary artist who has taken the art world by storm. A true Renaissance man, he excels in graphics, product design, and music. Móyò’s paintings are profoundly narrative and embody his personal journey.

Born in 1986 in Lagos, Nigeria, and raised by a Brazilian father and a Nigerian mother from Ekiti State, Móyò developed a sense of mixed cultural independence from his family’s tribal roots. His artistic vision was shaped by his upbringing and travels. Inspired by the streets of London and New York, as well as his college years in Ghana and Ivory Cost—where he studied computer science—his work reflects these experiences while also expressing his Yoruba cultural heritage. A self-taught artist, Móyò discovered his passion for art early in life, inspired by his father’s love for collecting art, figurines, cars, and other objects. He is primarily guided by his internal vision rather than by other artists. For him, his work is spiritual in nature, representing his wishes, dreams, and the path forward. Since migrating to the United States in 2015, his determination has remained unwavering.

Móyò bridges abstract, figurative, and iconographic symbolism. He expresses the beauty in the figure and the depth of its subject, and he obsesses with a cartoon-like character that imbues his iconography and that has a deep symbolic meaning. His approach is narrative and realistic in his early works, returning to his childhood memories. The African statue is always present and spiritually meaningful in his work. He is fascinated with contemporary plastic toy statues and collectibles from artists like Kaws, representing everything different in juxtaposition to the traditional Yoruba  figures. A seminal work, “Watchman” resonates deeply; the painting is a study of the Yoruba figure, interpreted by Móyò as a man embracing his destiny. It also nods to his personal experience working as a night watchman in the Bronx—an experience that left a lasting impression.

Móyò expresses the emotions of his characters with deft brushwork, setting them against backgrounds that are layered, manipulated, scratched, and infused with text. He places himself in the canvas in spirit, in name, and even through his birthdate. He scribbles words, mathematical formulas, mantras, and prayers. He visually expresses his internal conversation, which shifts as his world does as a visual biography. He resists being put in a box. His unique use of materials and story is the cord that ties his work together. As his craft and career expand, he looks back, reflecting on his path and where he has come from, both as a person and artistically. Entrenched with personal symbolism, every element of a painting has a purpose and a specific meaning to him, much like a morse code. The eyes symbolize his own spiritual “all-seeing”; the clusters of floating eyeballs convey the feeling of being constantly watched—of being 'seen,' both personally and through his work. The large, slightly aggressive mouth reflects the intensity of being talked about. Etched words serve as a mantra, a way to manifest his vision.

Since being discovered by TrafficArts in 2020, Móyò’s career has grown rapidly, with around 300 works now in private collections worldwide. Rising demand, international exposure, and growing museum interest have established him as one of the most compelling emerging contemporary African artists on the global stage.