Courtesy of the artist.
The artwork ‘Portrait of an elegant lady’ is all about perspective. It is a portrait of a dark-skinned woman caught in pleasure. Only the artist truly knows her history. Like everyone living in the public eye, we are allowed our speculations. There is an air of quiet luxury around the woman. There is an ease and questioning in her – unevenly sized – eyes. It makes one wonder what is not in the painting.
Okedoyin Oluwatosin (b. 1996) is an artist from Nigeria. He is known for his alluring portraits of women existing in a comfort zone, free from the burden of societal stereotypes, and challenging the societal narrative of blackness. The over-emphasised eyeballs seen in his works are meant to symbolize a portal channeling light through the eyes of the subjects representing a window to one’s soul. Music and literature play an important role in his work.
About his artistic process, Luli says:
“Without the ability to actualize an idea or concept, art would not exist. My work is a constant search for the best way to interpret the ideas that I have about myself and the world I live in. I use the African traditional damask and gele to create a cloth-like effect in my work. This is to create an illusionary bridge between traditional African art and contemporary art.
The over-emphasised eyeballs in my works pay homage to my blind grandmother, who would say, “Oju ni imole ara” which means “The eyes are the light of the body.” I create a portal to my works by creating a channel of light through their eyes, as I believe it is the window to the soul.”
About the painting, ‘Portrait of an Elegant Lady’, he says:
“I painted this as a reminder of how beautiful we are as a person even when we might be going through a lot within ourselves. We should always create the time to appreciate, enjoy and love ourselves endlessly whenever we can.”
Other works by the artist:
Courtesy of TAAG.
Courtesy of TAAG.
Iyanuoluwa Adenle is a Nigerian art writer, essayist, and poet based in Lagos. She is currently the head writer at Omenai. Adenle has contributed to a number of art publications, including Tender Photo, Art News Africa, Pavillon 54, and Omenai.
