Visions of Home: A Journey Through Nigeria

Omenai Gallery is pleased to present Visions of Home: A Journey Through Nigeria. This is a joint exhibition featuring works by emerging artists, Olasunkanmi Akomolehin and Bola Obatuyi. This is the gallery’s first exhibition in the United States.

Visions of Home brings together two young artists who are connected by their ties to their home country, Nigeria. In this upcoming group exhibition, Akomolehin and Obatuyi will present selected works from their new body of work that reflect on their personal lives and lived experiences in Nigeria.

Visions of Home: A Journey Through Nigeria, curated by Gbenro Adeyemo, founder of Omenai, comes just in time for the country’s 63rd anniversary of independence from British rule. Akomolehin’s works are a representation of his personal journey. He embraces beauty and grace in relation to specific and deep periods of growth in his work. Obatuyi’s works explore many interpretations of sisterhood. With their use of flowers on clothing on the figures in their work or in the background, this recurring motif is how these artists are earnest about their exploration of beauty.

Given the country’s deeply seated issues of disharmony, these artists remain adamant in their exploration of the human condition, which centres on mental health, wellness, beauty, and community. While Akomolehin and Obatuyi chronicle the joy and serenity in distinct ways, they are a sign that their hope is not lost.

Olasunkanmi Akomolehin (b. 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) is a Nigerian artist. He started his art journey at Rufus Giwa Polytechnic before proceeding to pursue a Higher National Diploma Degree in Painting at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Nigeria. Akomolehin’s work narrates stories of the past, present, and future. The central themes in his art are identity, mental health, and wellness, as he sheds light on the struggles and triumphs of people living with mental illness. His naturalist and maximalist portraits of contemporary Black figures explore human conditions. His subjects are often distorted and heavily backdropped by vibrantly coloured floral patterns. Using oil and acrylic on canvas, they are portrayed as diverse and authentic to peel apart the facade of his subject’s emotions.

Akomolehin’s works have been shown in group exhibitions in Nigeria and across the world, including the United States, Italy, and China.

Bola Obatuyi (b. 1992) was born and raised in Ibadan, Nigeria. She got her Higher National Diploma (HND) in Fine Arts from Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State. She brings her canvases to life using fabric and acrylic paint. Passionate about the idea behind making new things from found materials, her artistic journey traces back to her early days in her aunt’s tailoring shop in Ibadan, Nigeria. From making doodles on the wall to crafting art with cardboard as a child, Obatuyi’s practice is a laborious one. It begins with template drawings and fabric-cutting, eventually ending with pasting, painting, and sewing. Her portraits depict themes of tenderness and femininity that resonate with the viewer.

Her works have been featured in group exhibitions in Nigeria and across the world, including the United Kingdom.

Visions of Home: A Journey Through Nigeria is on view from October 6th to October 31st, 2023 at Frame Chicago.