New art exhibit gives a voice to those cast aside

In The Marginalized, the latest exhibition at the Kelowna Art Gallery, artist Roland Samuels transforms discarded objects into powerful symbols of displacement, resilience and identity. Through sculptures crafted from salvaged car doors, textiles and metal, he reflects on the experience of those cast aside by society.

The exhibition is deeply personal for Samuels, who is currently pursuing his MFA at UBC Okanagan. He draws from his Igbo heritage and the realities of marginalization he faced growing up in southeastern Nigeria. For him, found objects serve as both material and message. He describes them as carrying their own history—often forgotten or overlooked, much like the communities his work represents.

“The found object itself is a significant part of the work because the found object is discarded,” Samuels told Kelowna10. “In the case of marginalization, only those who experience alienation can truly speak about it. I’ve been using found objects for a long time, and it resonates with me because the found object is the message.”

His Igbo upbringing plays a crucial role in his artistic approach. In Nigeria, Samuels often worked with metal and computer plating, deconstructing and reconstructing materials to reveal hidden narratives. In this exhibition, he repurposes found objects to reflect the displacement of the Igbo people and other marginalized communities. The wear and damage on these materials symbolize the hardships they have endured.

At the centre of the exhibition stands Njirimara—Igbo for “identity”—a figurative sculpture that serves as a self-portrait of the artist. Draped in fabric that obscures its face and torso, it represents the concealment of identity—a survival mechanism for those forced to navigate a society that refuses to see them.

“Njirimara is a representation of me, how I felt growing up,” Samuels said. “I feel like there is this huge box on me, this huge cloth—like a veil. This sculpture represents how I felt alienated in society, how I felt different from everybody.”

Samuels believes art can drive social change and amplify marginalized voices.

“I think artists have the responsibility to represent what they feel, what the community feels,” he said. “The purpose of this exhibition is to bring out the concept of marginalization, to let people know that it is real. I faced it as a child growing up. I faced it in primary school, high school and university. I faced this marginalization.”

The exhibit runs at the Kelowna Art Gallery until June 1st.