By Henry Akubuiro
• Her Highness (oil & acrylic on canvas, 24×36 inches, dated 2022) by Olamide Adesola.
Olamide Adesola, who came into the art scene some years ago, appears to be confronting and winning over the challenges of the crowded genre known as portrait art. With about 10 exhibitions, within and outside Nigeria, Adesola is currently building her creative strength, which lies in themes as diverse as her Nigerian heritage, among her central focus of black women in leadership.
And as most portrait artists are very much aware of the competitive challenges, particularly as commercial focus appears to be the drive that inspire these artists, Adesola’s themes bring more than the ordinary. Beyond the commercial appreciation value, Adesola, a trained-artiat from Obefemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has passion for celebrating the strength of women. Among her paintings that celebrate women are Her Highness, No Woman No Cry, Focus, The Golden Girl, Queen Moremi and The African Child.
The artist’s passion becomes louder in Her Highness (Oil & Acrylic on Canvas, 24×36 inches, 2022), in which she combines her aesthetics skill with philosophical approach to issues. According to a text attached to the painting, Adesola’s ideal black woman represents humility and wisdom, energised by even mental strength. A text attached to the painting reads: “She’s Queen, she’s powerful, she’s Black. Her royalty doesn’t necessarily have to be by birth, but by her virtues and values. She’s not a goddess, but she’s a Queen! She’s brave and cannot be overlooked; though history might tend to be unjust to her. Though she’s covered in Green, once you dig to the roots you’ll discover that the foundation is Black. Though she’s compassionate, she’s a fighter for what is just and right! She’ll never stop fighting for the good course because she’s… Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Chief Justice Meaza Ashenaf, Karmala Harris, Serena Williams, and so on.”
Another interesting piece in similar theme is No Woman No Cry, a large painting dated 2022, The artist explained that her subject’s challenges inspire her to higher ground. “She exudes confidence against all odds. Her confidence is inimitable. She has taken her challenges at life in strides. Staying focused and positive is her only chance of survival. Everything will be alright woman… So woman, don’t cry!”
As much Adesola celebrates black women in Her Highness, it would be an expansive dialogue to have the other side of women whose choice of livelihood has been detrimental to the status of African women. For every Okonjo-Iweala, Adichie, Johnson-Sirleaf, Justice Ashenaf, Harris or Serena Williams, there are volumes of women, whose characters question the expected humanity in womanhood. As Africans, artists should be using their art to highlight the socio-cultural decadence of the people alongside celebration of great individuals.
As a portrait artist, Adesola’s arr, like that of most artists of her generation has link to quite some notable masters as regards styles and techniques. For examples, in pieces such as The Girl With the Red Scarf, and some other artworks, there is a common colour tones with the style of some known artists. While it’s too early to predict the future for Adesola, an artist whose practice is less than mid-career years of practice, the high prospects for Adesola comes with its fragility, in the commercial context. The success of an artist is much about being at the right place at the appropriate time with contents that appeal to the power that be, so experts would argue.
With over ten exhibitions to her credit since 2018, showing in Nigeria and the UK, Adesola, whose signature is Ayo’lamide, explained his art further: “My artistic practice is deeply rooted in the African culture and personal experiences, which I journal through my art to connect with a broad audience, particularly women,” in her Artist Statement. “Through my work, I aim to shed light on the often overlooked sacrifices of Black women, seeking to challenge unjust societal norms and spark conversations about their struggles and pain. This I try to achieve through striking use of vibrant colour palette and a conscious choice of a deep rooted sense of subject matter.”
Caption: Her Highness (oil & acrylic on canvas, 24×36 inches, dated 2022) by Olamide Adesola.