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Ebenezer Akinola

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Ebenezer Akinola
Born
Ebenezer Samuel Akinola

(1968-12-01) December 1, 1968 (age 56)
Ibadan, Oyo State
NationalityNigerian
EducationBachelor of Painting
Alma materUniversity of Benin
Occupations
  • artist
  • curator
Years active1991 – present
Notable workThe commissioned paintings of Nigerian leaders Nnamdi Azikiwe, Abdulsalami Abubakar and Olusegun Obasanjo displayed at the Nigerian National Art Gallery

Ebenezer Samuel Akinola (born 1 December 1968), is a Nigerian artist and curator known for his work in portraiture, figurative and abstract African art.[1] He is mostly known for his commissioned paintings of Nigerian presidents Nnamdi Azikiwe, Abdulsalami Abubakar and Olusegun Obasanjo which are displayed at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Lagos.[2] He has held several solo and joint exhibitions both in Nigeria and abroad.

Early life and education

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Akinola was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. He attended the University of Benin where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in painting in 1989.[3][4] During his time at the university, he was awarded a scholarship for being the top-performing student in painting in his third year (1988). He also received the departmental prize for the best student in Fine Art and the Fasuyi Art Prize for the best student in painting in 1989.[5] Akinola taught at both Holy Child Secondary School in Calabar and Birrel Avenue High School in Lagos between 1991 and 1992. After spending a year working at Insight Communications Limited in Lagos, he transitioned into full-time studio practice.[6]

Career

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Through the course of his career, Akinola has been commissioned by the National Art Gallery to paint former presidents Nnamdi Azikiwe, Abdulsalami Abubakar, and Olusegun Obasanjo. These paintings are displayed at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Lagos.[2][3] Additionally, Akinola's work has been exhibited in various art exhibitions and art galleries across Nigeria and abroad, especially the UK.[7] His work have been sold in auction houses Bonhams, Sotheby's and MutualArt.com.[8][9][10] He is a mentor to several contemporary Nigerian painters including Oluwole Omofemi,[11] Boluwatife Victoria Lawal,[12] Raji Mohammed,[13] Adeola Adegbenro,[14] Olatunji Awoyemi[15] and Ibraheem Sodiq;[16] with Omofemi crediting Akinola for introducing him to art galleries during initial stage of his career and Mohammed and Sodiq spending years as apprentices in his art studio.[17][18]

Akinola is based in Ibadan.[1] 2015 saw him take part in combined exhibition with eight other artists titled Essentials.[19] In 2016, he partook in a collective charity exhibition titled The Genesis, hosted by the Ovie Brume Foundation and featuring 10 artists including himself, George Edozie and Gerald Chukwuma, amongst others, where 40% of the proceeds from the event was allocated for charity.[20] Four works were presented by each artist. [21] In 2017, he participated a joint exhibition at Terra Kulture alongside George Edozie, Olusegun Adejumo, amongst others; where his pieces Balogun Agba II and The Seeker II were displayed.[2] In the same year, he also held an exhibition titled Where Do We Go from Here? at the Omenka Gallery, Lagos which contained 27 paintings.[4] According to The Nation, the recurring theme in the paintings was the utilization of a plain backdrop that created a void for the figures and colors to exist in and Akinola's evident for earth tones.[4] Also in 2017, he was a participant in the exhibition “The Manuscript” which also included other participating artists such as Oresegun Olumide and more.[22]

Artistic style

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Akinola’s artistic expressions uplifts and celebrates black culture while simultaneously pushing against societal norms related to race, gender, beauty, cultural identity, and contemporary African politics and spirituality.[23] He also incorporates modern and contemporary arts. Akinola's artistic portfolio has an emphasis on creating portraits and figurative studies, where he combines realistic and abstract elements and incorporates details.

Akinola draws inspiration from various African cultures, incorporating elements such as turbans from northern Nigeria and wrappers from the south. His work is connected to traditional values and a sense of community, with migration being a recurring theme.[5]

Exhibitions and paintings

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Exhibitions

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Sources:[23][24]

  1. "Bloom Gallery V.I.", Lagos, Nigeria (2021)
  2. "Where Do We Go From Here", Omenka Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria (2017)
  3. "Lasting Impressions", Signature Beyond, Lagos, Nigeria (2010)
  4. "Recent Paintings", SteeLife Gallery, Chicago, USA (2003)
  5. "Life: Slices and Spices", Didi Museum, Lagos, Nigeria (1996)

Selected Paintings

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  • ‘Slay Mama’, 2022
  • WE JUST DEY GO O, 2017
  • At the Market, 2008
  • Woman with red headscarf

References

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  1. ^ a b "How Akinola Dumped 'Art Of Survival' Abroad For Creative Freedom At Home". The Guardian (Nigeria). 2015-07-25. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  2. ^ a b "Ebenezer Akinola – Alexis Galleries". Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  3. ^ a b c "A people's 'endless search'". The Nation (Nigeria). Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  4. ^ a b "Ebenezer Akinola". Omenka Gallery. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  5. ^ "Ebenezer Akinola". Invaluable. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  6. ^ "Ebenezer AKINOLA (1968) Cote. Prix aux enchères. Estimer, acheter, vendre - Artprice". Artprice (in French). Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  7. ^ "Bonhams : Ebenezer Akinola (Nigerian, born 1968) At the Market framed". Bonhams. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  8. ^ "Ebenezer Akinola, Portrait of a Girl". Sotheby’s.
  9. ^ "Ebenezer Akinola | 16 Artworks at Auction | MutualArt". MutualArt.com. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  10. ^ "Oluwole Omofemi's rapid rise to Nigerian art royalty". Financial Times. 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  11. ^ "Boluwatife Victoria Lawal". Artvee. Archived from the original on 2023-03-28. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  12. ^ "Test Of Debut For Mohammed In Inspired". The Guardian (Nigeria). 2015-10-18. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  13. ^ "undefined". Forme Femine Art. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  14. ^ "Olatunji Awoyemi 🇳🇬". Om234. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  15. ^ "Exhibition Online – Ouida Lagos". Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  16. ^ Sijuwade, Amber. "'The past glory is returning': Ibadan's nascent artistic revival". Aljazeera. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  17. ^ "Raji swings to abstract with Beauty and Illusion". The Nation (Nigeria). Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  18. ^ "For vibrant collection, artists of Essentials broaden space". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2015-11-19. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  19. ^ "Art of Charity from the Genesis Artists". The Guardian (Nigeria). 2016-03-27. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  20. ^ "Art for the love of children". The Nation (Nigeria). Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  21. ^ "The Manuscript as basic, fountain of art". The Guardian (Nigeria). 2017-02-05. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  22. ^ a b "Ebenezer Akinola | Artist". African Arty. 2022-07-26. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  23. ^ "Ebenezer Akinola - 7 Artworks for Sale on Artsy". www.artsy.net. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
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