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Oluwole Omofemi (born Godwin Oluwole Omofemi on 2 June 1988) is a Nigerian artist and curator based in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.[1] He is mostly known for painting the last commissioned painting of Queen Elizabeth II before her death.[2] He has held several solo and joint exhibitions both in Nigeria and abroad.[3]
Oluwole Omofemi | |
|---|---|
 Omofemi in his art studio in Ibadan, Nigeria | |
| Born | Godwin Adekunle Oluwole Omofemi June 2, 1988 Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria |
| Alma mater | The Polytechnic, Ibadan (HND) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Notable work | The last commissioned painting of Queen Elizabeth II |
| Website | [1] |
Background and education edit
Omofemi is from Edo State, southern Nigeria. He was born and spent most of his childhood with his maternal grandfather in Ekotedo community, Ibadan[4] - the third largest city in Nigeria by population. This endeared him to his grandfather who accepted him wholeheartedly and led him to bear his grandfather's name “Adekunle” which means “the crown or royalty fills up the family” in Yoruba language.[5] A part of his growing years was in Agenebode, Etsako with his mother after his parents split up when he was younger.[6] He started painting since childhood, having been influenced by the environment he grew up in to explore his artistic talent. He was always a keen observer of his environment since his growing years and had bouts of loneliness and this has ended up being a great asset in his in artistic career.[7] He has two younger sisters.[2] In his early years, Omofemi began hawking beer and using a portion of his earnings to purchase drawing books. As his beer business grew, he obtained a wheelbarrow to facilitate it. He received informal artistic training from a fellow artist, which helped him refine his skills. Omofemi's talent was also acknowledged at his Junior Secondary School, Community Grammar School in Mokola, Ibadan, where he was recognized as one of the best artists. Tope Fatunbi, the first professional artist to pave the way for Omofemi's artistic career, was instrumental in his growth. He then established a kiosk to showcase his miniatures.[5] He attended The Polytechnic, Ibadan for his higher education, earning a National Diploma in 2012 and a Higher National Diploma in painting in 2015. He then proceeded to partake in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program from November 2016, passing out in 2017.[1] For his primary and secondary education, he attended Saviour Apostolic Primary School, Ekotedo and Community Grammar School, Mokola, Ibadan from 1995 to 2000 and from 2001 to 2007 respectively.[3]
Career edit
Omofemi held his first solo exhibition titled “Iriri”, which translates to “Experience” from Yoruba in 2019 at the Alexis Gallery, Lagos.[8] In 2020, Omofemi held his exhibition titled “The Way We Are”. The exhibition which was made up of seventeen oil and acrylic paintings on canvas was held at the Signature African Art's Mayfair Gallery in London.[9][10] In 2021, he also held the “In Our Days” exhibition in the above named theatre due to the success enjoyed by his exhibition held in the same location the previous year.[7] 2021 also had him display his work in the Out of Africa Gallery in Barcelona in an exhibition titled “Emancipation”. He has had art exhibitions in art galleries in Belgium, Italy, France, Spain, Ghana, United Kingdom, USA and Nigeria.[3][1] His works have been sold in auctions houses Christie's and Phillips.[11][12] Having been introduced to the editor of Tatler Richard Dennen by rugby player and art collector Maro Itoje,[13] in May 2022, Omofemi was commissioned by Tatler magazine to make a painting of the late Queen Elizabeth II.[14] The painting covered the special platinum jubilee edition of the magazine.[15] This painting was to be the last commissioned painting of her before her death.[16][17]
His most expensive painting till date, “The Invader”, sold for US$189,000. With other of his paintings including “Providence” and “Yesterday Has Gone” selling for US$169,900 and US$151,200 respectively.[18]
He pointed out Tope Fatunmbi and Ebenezer Akinola as his mentors.[17]
Artistic style edit
His signature style includes incorporating the Afro hairstyle, baldness, and tribal markings in his paintings into his contemporary figurative and portrait paintings.[10] He does this as an intrinsic way of capturing femininity and the African identity and African heritage while running natural commentary on both its history and contemporary times.[19] According to Okay Africa, this is his way of portraying an African “emblem of liberation, identity, and power” and is “a way of conserving African heritage and tradition”, preserving afrocentrism.[20] He also iterated in an interview with The Sun that:
The hair is special to me just as you have rightly said because of its unique features and symbolic representation. The incident which led to my indulgence in painting hair as a subject matter, particularly afro, began in the late 1960s and early 70s when the civil rights exponents drew more attention to the love-yourself gospel which helped to project confidence, beauty and sparkle to the perception of blacks and their diasporic identity.[7]
His works are viewed as Afrocentric. Another of his style is trying not just to paint but to capture the ‘essence’ of his subject. He ensures to make his paintings exude an aura that is human like.[2] He also draws his artistic inspiration from his growing up days in Ibadan.[8] Citing the serenity and free flowing way of life in the city makes sure that his inspiration is never disrupted by physical factors.[17] He does contemporary art and abstract art as well. In his painting of the Queen of England, he painted her with black hair to capture both youth - as opposed to grey hair - as well as integrate his signature style into the painting. He also uses the pop art palette for his signature color range and mix, forming a major part of his color theory.[2]
Exhibitions and paintings edit
Solo Shows edit
| Year | Work Title | Art Gallery | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | A Woman's Worth | OOA Gallery | Barcelona, Spain |
| 2021 | In our days | Signature African Art | London, UK |
| Self Addressed | Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, curated by Kehinde Wiley[21] | Los Angeles, USA | |
| 2020 | The Way we were | Signature African Art | London, UK |
| 2019 | Iriri (Experience) | Allexis Gallery | Lagos, Nigeria |
Group Shows edit
| Year | Work Title | Art Gallery | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | The Queen | Sotheby's Group Show | London, UK |
| Volta New York Art Fair | OOA Gallery | New York, USA | |
| 4000 Ans | Curated by Destinee Ross-Sutton – Wall House Museum | Saint Barthélemy, France | |
| 2021 | 1-54 London Art Fair | OOA Gallery | London, UK |
| Self Addressed | Jeffrey Deith Gallery, curated by Kehinde Wiley[21] | Los Angeles, USA | |
| 1-54 New York | OOA Gallery | New York, USA | |
| Black Excellence | Ross-Sutton Gallery | Miami, USA | |
| Artexpo (New York 2021) | TAAG Gallery | New York, USA | |
| Emancipation with REWA | OOA Gallery | Barcelona, Spain | |
| 2020 | Can't stop our flow | JM Gallery | London, UK |
| Locality and the Status Quo | Pacers Art Gallery | Lagos, Nigeria | |
| Say my Name | Signature African Art | London, UK | |
| Piasa Auction | Paris, France | ||
| 2019 | Rise Up | Signature African Art | London, UK |
| Mayfair | |||
| Fashion and Art Show | Belgium | ||
| Face & Phases | Terrakulture Art Gallery | Lagos, Nigeria | |
| Impact Artist Fair | Eko Atlantic City | ||
| Second Ibadan Affordable Art Fair | Ibadan, Nigeria | ||
| Sogal Art Auction | Signature Beyond | Lagos, Nigeria | |
| Bald is Beautiful | Alexis Gallery | ||
| Starting Point | |||
| 2018 | Sogal Art Auction | Signature Beyond | |
| New Horizon | Discova Art Centre | Port Harcourt, Nigeria | |
| Fair & Square | Alexis Gallery[22] | Lagos, Nigeria | |
| Next of Kin | Thought Pyramid Gallery | ||
| 2016 | Face & Phases | Terrakulture Art Gallery | |
| 2015 | The Return of the Slave | Accra, Ghana | |
| Art for Heart | Lagos, Nigeria | ||
| Curore di Donna | World Art Exhibition | Italy | |
| Face & Phases | Terrakulture Art Gallery | Lagos, Nigeria | |
| 2014 | Emergency | ||
| 2013 | Life in my city Festival | Alliance Française | Ibadan, Nigeria |
| Unity | National Museum |
Philanthropy edit
In 2021, he started the Oluwole Omofemi Foundation.[23] In 2022, made donations foodstuffs and other aid to widows in the Ekotedo community in Ibadan, Oyo State; the community in which he matured. He did this remembrance of his late mother.[4] Another facet of his philanthropy was creating a yuletide program called “Ijewuru Day”.[23] The scheme brings youths together to motivate them and also has an eating competition segment with prizes to be won.[4]
In a meeting with the deputy governor of Oyo State. He spoke of his intention to initiate a project for his alma mater, The Ibadan Polytechnic.[4]
Personal life edit
He is married with two kids. He owns a two-room studio in Ibadan where he has apprentices.[17] He advised upcoming artists to be wary of selling their art works without the knowledge of their lawyers or their affiliated galleries.[24]
References edit
- ^ a b c "Oluwole Omofemi's rapid rise to Nigerian art royalty". Financial Times. 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ a b c d "Behind the cover of the Queen: Artist Oluwole Omofemi on taking on the project of a lifetime". Tatler. 2022-05-20. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ a b c d "Oluwole OMOFEMI - Overview". OOA Gallery. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ a b c d Rapheal (2023-03-10). "Oluwole Omofemi: Why we created Piece Unique for artists". The Sun (Nigeria). Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ a b https://www.signatureafricanart.com/artists/29-oluwole-omofemi/
- ^ "Oluwole Omofemi - Artist". coronation.ng. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
- ^ a b c David (2021-09-18). "From Ibadan to London: Oluwole Omofemi showcases Afro hair". The Sun (Nigeria). Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ a b Rapheal (2019-04-26). "Alexis Galleries set for Oluwole Omofemi's Iriri". The Sun (Nigeria). Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ McNay, Anna. "Oluwole Omofemi – interview: 'In my paintings, I try to tell the black community to embrace their beauty, to embrace their colour'". Studio International. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ a b Chukwuma, Udemma (2020-03-22). "Come to London and see The Way We Were". The Nation (Nigeria). Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ "Oluwole Omofemi (B. 1988)". Christie’s. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ "Oluwole Omofemi". Phillips (auctioneers). Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ Ward, Victoria (2022-05-20). "Nigerian artist Oluwole Omofemi gives the Queen black hair in new Platinum Jubilee portrait". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ Rapheal (2022-06-23). "70th coronation anniversary: How Oluwole Omofemi broke records to paint Queen Elizabeth". The Sun (Nigeria). Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ Dex, Robert (2022-05-20). "New portrait of the Queen on cover of Tatler Magazine". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ "The Editor pays tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the historic new issue of Tatler". Tatler. 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ a b c d Sijuwade, Amber. "'The past glory is returning': Ibadan's nascent artistic revival". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ "Artiste: Oluwole OMOFEMI, Nigeria (b. 1988)". art.co. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ https://www.artsy.net/artist/oluwole-omofemi
- ^ "Nigerian Artist Oluwole Omofemi Breaks Down His 5 Favorite Paintings". Okay Africa. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ a b "Kehinde Wiley Curates a Group Exhibition Celebrating Contemporary African Portraiture". Hypebeast. 2021-11-19. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ "Sharing 'Fair and Square' among Omofemi, Tete-Katchan". The Guardian (Nigeria). 2018-06-10. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ a b Nwosu, Philip (2022-12-20). "Ijewuru Day: Omofemi gives back to Ibadan slum". The Sun (Nigeria). Retrieved 2023-03-21.
- ^ Online, Tribune (2022-05-04). "When Artists' Hangout hosted Oluwole Omofemi". Nigerian Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-21.