Ara Deinde

Ara Deinde (born Aralola Oladeinde) is a multidisciplinary artist living and working in Ibadan, Nigeria. Born in Lagos, he developed an early engagement with art through constant drawing and visual experimentation, a commitment that eventually led him to leave his studies in Agricultural Engineering in 2019 to pursue an independent artistic practice.

Ara was an artist-in-residence at KUTA Art Foundation in 2020 and 2021, an experience that significantly shaped his studio discipline and conceptual approach. His works have been exhibited in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States, and he has undertaken several notable painting and mural commissions. He draws inspiration from artists such as Toyin Ojih Odutola, James Grashow, Florian Baudrexel, Pablo Picasso, and Yayoi Kusama, Ara’s work reflects an ongoing interest in form, narrative, and the layered realities of contemporary life.