Ogbontarigi Obinrin (Extraordinary Woman), 2022

Abiola Olabamiji  

Abiola was born in 1992, in Odo-ona Elewe, Ibadan, Nigeria. He was trained and mentored by Mr. Tope Fatunmbi at the Topfat Art Gallery, Adamasingba, Ibadan, Nigeria. Chuck Close greatly inspires Abiola. He began his professional practice in 2021. Having thoroughly explored various creative mediums, he discovered a passion for portraying the inner hardships and resilience of an African man and their full expression while chasing dreams and aspirations, as seen in his brush strokes.

Abiola Abdulwareez Olabamiji's paintings portray an innovative approach with delicate attention to his subject's skin, depicted in black hues defined by palm frond patterns, texture, and mark-making in brown, purple, and green that showcase the contemporary life of an African man. He executed his portrait figures in oil and acrylic on canvas. He gives a metaphysical expression of the importance, dignity, and stability of black culture in its various forms and aims to bring back African "most especially" Yoruba philosophy into the Renaissance through his art.

"In my paintings, I use the texture of palm fronds on the skin to represent the palm tree's qualities. I believe black life is like a palm tree: strong against powerful storms and winds, with all of its parts playing a crucial role. Hence, an African man is strong and important in every aspect," he says.

Abiola's subjects gaze with unwavering firmness at a distance and with a stern disposition, provoking viewers' curiosity about what caught the figures' interest while enabling viewers to give different interpretations that correspond to their life journeys. His works have developed from large-scale neoexpressionistic

paintings into a process of experimental appropriation. As a neglected African child, his artistic path can be traced back to his childhood experiences and his use of art as solace to depict his subjective inner experiences. His love for art brewed from his elementary school while watching a neighbor's artistic skills bring smiles to his and his friends' faces.