Godwin Rotimi Toluwalose is a Nigerian figurative artist known for his signature camouflage patterns, a symbol of emotional and energetic flows on bold figures.
Whispers from the sky
Born in May 1995 in Lagos, Nigeria, Rotimi dates his passion and discovery of arts way back to when he was just a 7 year old boy in primary 2.
Floating on cloud nine
Noting it as something he loves, he went ahead to study art in education and holds a bachelor’s degree from the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife (Nigeria).
Merging his love and inspiration, he finds solace in painting and draws inspiration from his well of childhood memories, mindfully moving between his time in Kaduna and that of Ekiti state, with both places playing significant roles in his arts.
Golden glamour
With a total of 23 exhibitions, Godwin has had his works exhibited in Nigeria, Maryland, Detroit, Dubai and New Delhi(India).
Bold gaze II
Aiming to become a contributor and playing a major role in the social and cultural value of art both home and abroad, Rotimi is constantly pushing boundaries with each piece he paints, inviting and encouraging viewers to not just admire the stunning artworks before them but also reinterpret spots and perceived flaws as a source of strength and motivation.
Sisi’s retreat I
“I want viewers to see beauty in each and every human form and experience but most of all, as a promise that as long as I have air in my lungs, I’ll be an artist, not just any artist but one with a difference”
Faderera (One who uses her crown to calm her soul)
Tosin Paul Ajayi is a Nigerian auto ethnographic visual artist born in May 1998 in Akure. Finalizing his decision to pursue arts at age 17 was foreseeable as he began drawing stick figures at age 4.
Ipnori (Higher self)
This was solidified when he studied fine and applied arts with a major in painting and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2021, making him a master of his craft.
Paul’s auto ethnographic style stems from his deep connection with his childhood and believes using simple shapes and stick figures has a way of making him relive childhood memories but most importantly, he feels “everything in nature has form, be it basic or organic so simplifying my subjects into shapes only feels natural while serving as a means of fueling my creativity”.
Ori Inu (Inner self)
Ajayi is greatly inspired by his own experiences, that of people close to him and above all, curiosity. He explained that,” curiosity is my biggest inspiration, the urge to learn, discover and understand new things especially with regards to my cultural traditions”.
Ibeji (Duality series)
Discoveries from such curious researches have birthed the stunning artworks attributed to Tosin.
As a thriving artist, Ajayi has participated in 11 exhibitions, 10 in Nigeria and 1 online exhibition in the USA.
Ori series
A few years from now, “I see myself advancing as an artist while continuing to use my art as a form of research and a means of cultural preservation. I hope to have covered 47% of my research focus, creating awareness around my cultural identity and African traditions that risk being forgotten, focusing on reviving and celebrating cultural identity through my art”.
Procession
Paul hopes viewers don’t miss the beauty of cultural awareness, importance of identity and a reflection of the vibrancy of life whenever they come across his pieces.
“Even if we all can’t be painters, we must always endeavor to carry the stories that form part of our cultural identity with us everywhere we go”.
Ajayi’s ultimate goal is to become a cultural custodian who preserves and showcases his rich cultural heritage through his pieces and that’s what he will keep doing till the day he decides to drop his brushes.
Born in March 2003, Ernest Boafo, known on socials and in the art space as Artist Boafo is a Ghanaian contemporary artist who discovered his love for arts at age six.
A visual arts student during his years in senior high school, his style of art isn’t only fueled by passion but is also greatly influenced by old renaissance artists with God as his greatest inspiration.
He’s had a total of eight exhibitions held in Ghana between 2022 to 2024 and is working towards creating more masterpieces.
In the next five years, Boafo looks forward to making a huge impact in his community with each piece he creates.
To whoever that’ll come into contact with or view any of his pieces, he hopes the viewer sees and acknowledges the importance of working and living as a creative. This is the reason why he’s constantly inspired to work even harder while hoping to collaborate with other passionate artists.
Popularly known in the creative space as Adobe Messiah, Nana Chere Boachie-Darquah,II is a Ghanaian graphic designer born on 10th January, 1998 at Obuasi in the Ashanti Region.
A born creative who discovered his love for arts at age 3 in primary 2, Messiah took a different path when he studied science in senior high school and computer science while in university.
On realizing the lack and gap between how graphic designers conveyed messages to their audiences, Nana felt the need to bring a fresh perspective to the graphic design space by influencing how art is paired with advertising as that’s his own way of communicating and engaging through art.
Although he had a vision of what he wanted to do, creatives like Artofblaq greatly inspired him to utilize photoshop and illustrator while Enosh Ghansah(enoshbydesign) mentored and taught him about 80 percent of what he had learnt over the years and is still very instrumental in his creative journey.
Nana got the name Adobe Messiah because his creative process is influenced by Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe AfterEffects and the entire Adobe suite due to the ease that comes with switching between the various apps when working.
As a creative and a household name in the design space, Adobe Messiah has worked with brands like 3Music, Dstv, Akwaaba Magic, Showmax Ghana, Afronation, Alwaboah, King Promise, Palmwine Music Festival, Glitch Africa, Wildaland, Jingle Beats, Louis Vuitton, Sony Music Publishing and the list goes on.
In the near future, Messiah envisions being a huge part of the outburst of individuals in the graphic design space who’ll be teaching, mentoring and helping shape like minded creatives while looking forward to having more young people venture into graphic design.
Successfully graduating from the school of arts, Yaba College of Technology to be precise in 2019, Olatunji Benjamin is an African multidimensional artist based in Nigeria.
New Creation
Born on 26 March 1997, Olatunji expertly blends symbolism and visual metaphor to create pieces centered around themes such as social, political, psychological and most importantly spiritual significance, which aim at vividly communicating the true identity of man by interpreting his consciousness to viewers.
Witty Pretty
Each piece opens up and presents the unseen moments and daily human experiences to viewers. This serves as a way of deeply connecting with each person who sees or stands before any of his works.
Forbidden Fruit
Having been privileged enough to be mentored by renowned artists, Benjamin has in turn created a name for himself in the art world which has enabled him participate in numerous exhibitions while paving the way for collaborations with other artists.
Growing up as a passionate lover of arts,George Omoayo Osoba studied painting at Yabatech.
Sunflower
A native of Lagos,Nigeria where he was born and raised in the year 1998 on May 19. Omoayo self discovered his love for arts at age 15.
For your eyes only
His unique style of art which strikes the thin line between realism and abstract, requires and enables him to be different, as highlighting the lips of his characters allows him to own his style while connecting with his audience.
Love like the Hornbills
Greatly inspired by music,the calm and quietness around and the daily experiences of loved ones, he creates works that convey themes such as confidence, elegance and boldness.
Omoayo wishes to explore the world and showcase the strong African culture and voice with each piece he creates and this is one of the major reasons why he has had several exhibitions in Nigeria and in other countries.
Youngest I’ll ever be
As a true son of the soil, Osoba will keep putting Africa on the map while creating lasting pieces.
Known for addressing issues that affect his immediate surroundings, country and continent with his paintings, Matthew Imuetiyan Eguavoen is a Lagos based Nigerian contemporary artist and a native of Edo State, born in 1988.
Self reflection in the restroom
Greatly inspired by the experience of both himself and that of others, Matthew is a self taught artist who began to indulge his passion for art at age 25 while furthering his education to obtain a bachelor’s in science for civil and engineering structures at the University of Port Harcourt.
The tree of life
When asked about his reason for being a contemporary artist, he said “ I chose contemporary art because it helps me talk about issues that affect me in the present”.
Nothing new under the sun
This is the reason why each piece is amusingly intriguing, effortlessly leaving viewers captivated and involved in the piece being stared at.
In good company
As an artist who is constantly building momentum and consistency, Matthew has had several exhibitions in and across Europe, USA and Africa.
This luggage has family members in it
Grateful for the opportunities and exposure, he’s propelled to keep creating and painting pieces that spark conversations, remain meaningful and substantive while proffering solutions to human challenges, now and in years to come.
Born on 17th October in the early 90s, Azeez Afeez Abiodun is a Lagos based Nigerian artist whose artistic passion and journey dates back to his early years where he vividly remembers drawing and effortlessly creating unparalleled pieces with found objects.
Sisters’ Circle II
Challenged to master and bring out the very best of what he’s enthusiastic about led to his study of fine arts with a major in painting.
A Lush Moment
Speaking on reasons for sticking with his preferred style,Azeez said “ it’s a style of painting that best interprets my experiences (fears,chaos and challenges) as a child”.
Gentlemen from the Quaters
With inspiration playing a pivotal role in fueling his passion, he singles out his environment and the journey of other artists as two of his main sources of inspiration.
Not Equal Loff
Constantly putting in work to better his craft and have a lasting career is what he’s been doing over the past years and this has given him the opportunity to have his works exhibited both locally (Nigeria) and internationally (U.S.A).
Ten Ten Brothers
Sharing on his expectation from viewers while interacting with his works, he says “ One thing I always want viewers to experience when standing in front of my piece is a short silence that is equivalent to the best communication they’ve ever had within a short period, this silence is intended to spark emotions and start conversations within their minds”.
The Fellowship of Thoughts
To top it off, he lives by the conviction that, “ the best thing a man can have is greatness and that’s exactly what he seeks to achieve with his works”.
Toju Clarke, born Favour Toritseju Clarke is a Nigerian sgraffito artist whose unique pieces come alive when scratched out.
Growing up in Lagos, 6 years old Toju was mostly found in his father’s studio either playing or admiring stunning pieces.
Take my pain away
His introduction to arts at a tender age led to his immerse interest and study of arts, with a diploma in fine arts and a higher diploma in graphic design.
As an artist who wanted to have intriguing and unparalleled pieces, Toju kept exploring and experimenting till he found “Sgraffito”, a technique that resonates and simultaneously challenges him to delve deeper into his creative domain.
Wahala no dey finish
Greatly inspired by the people in his inner circle, surroundings and most of all the need to protect his mental health, has led to the creation of some astounding body of works which have given him the opportunity to have his works exhibited in countries like USA, UK, Senegal and his home country Nigeria.
Reflections
Bent on making the most out of his life as an artist, Toju hopes and works towards a fulfilling career, one that’ll leave a lasting impact for years to come.
Solace
This is one of the major reasons why he wants his audience to always feel nostalgic and a strong sense of belonging when viewing his works, because behind every piece created is a secret message which says “I see and feel what you’re going through, you’re not alone, so cheer up and stay hopeful”. This is the message he communicates to viewers without words but rather stunning sgraffito strokes.
So close yet far apart
At the end of the day, Toritseju wants to break the boundaries of the ancient sgraffito painting techniques while creating awareness on mental health, culture, environment, identity and lifestyle.
Born in April,1991,Charlene Komuntale is a Ugandan born digital artist whose preteen still life and human figure sketches marked the beginning of her interest in drawing yet became very passionate about arts in her 20’s.
She explained that the delay with regards to her discovery of her love for arts was due to the fact that art history and arts in general wasn’t part of her school curriculum and she lacked proper introduction to the course during her formative years.
Currently holding a degree in Animation from Limkokwing University in Malaysia,3D Animation and motion graphics certificate from the Artfield Institute of Design in Uganda,Charlene made a constant effort to make art a top priority,this was why she studied arts in her O and A levels.
Viole(n)t Dress
Deciding to settle on digital painting as her primary medium even with it’s limitless potential for expression and exploration wasn’t an easy task as her initial inclination was towards sketching yet everything changed during her concept classes at University and made her realize digital painting helped her easily discover the big “why” behind the stories that spark her curiosity.
Pink Dress
Positively driven to use her art to challenge the notion of people who tend to think of women as amounting to little or literally nothing,she constantly seeks to set the mentality of the world with regards to women right. This is one of the major reasons why her greatest inspiration flows from the incredible women who grace her life ,backed by her Christian view on women and humans in general.
Aqua Dresses,2021
Being appreciated for her works and getting the opportunity to showcase them,she has participated in six group exhibitions and five art fairs. As an artist who’s striving to create timeless pieces advocating for the marginalized,she hopes her paintings resonate with and transcend cultural boundaries while aspiring to gain institutional recognition.
Lemonade Dress,2021
Drawing viewers in with each piece since she sees her works as mirrors which reveal the interconnection of individual mindsets in terms of the world around them,Charlene invites viewers to see their own reflections in her paintings in hopes that every piece nudges people to introspect,consider their impact and strive for personal growth.
Liberation Dress
Incessantly having women as the subjects of the pieces she creates is no coincidence because she feels women embody universal human experiences which deserve lots of recognition.
Olive Dress
Thinking of her art as a positive contribution to the world ,she’s keen on inspiring her viewers to listen to their inner voices and embrace their purpose as she embraces hers,while she continues to use her art as a conduit to communicate reality as honestly and plainly as possible ,thereby aspiring to cultivate a sense of fairness,justice and harmony with each stroke.
CREATIVE FACTORY ✍🏼🖼 