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

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

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

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

References