By Henry Akubuiro
By sheer hard work, Omofemi Oluwole has emerged as one of the most celebrated, contemporary Nigerian artists.
After a successful 2022 on the global art scene in which he held a number of international exhibitions and becoming the last official, black artist from Nigeria to paint the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, Oluwole isn’t resting on his oars. 
Last year ended on a fulfilling note for the Ibadan based artist when he gave back to the Ekotedo community in Ibadan, Oyo State, where he grew up.
“I grew up with some amazing and fantastic souls in that kind of environment. At a point in my life, I reflected on what God had done in my life, and I thought it was the right time to give back to my community. It was a way of saying ‘thank you’ for everything it had done for me,” he told Daily Sun what informed his philanthropy.
Perhaps, in honour of his late mum, he decided to assist widows in the locality by giving them food items and other lifelines. He also thought about how to help others on the margin of society by pulling them out of poverty, educating them and
making them learn new crafts.
“I also wanted to use myself as a case study, telling them that impossibility is nothing –if somebody like me can come out of this environment and become successful in life. I also believe many of them can come out of here and get better.”
Giving widows food items was, according to him, “one of the best things I have ever done, because a lot of people outside the country are also in support of what I am doing.”
Another component of his yuletide outing was the programme entitled “Ijewuru Day”.
In his early years, life was so difficult for him and his family that he had to do menial jobs to survive. Thus, the “Ijewuru Day” initiative was a move to bring youths together, tell them part of his stories, especially how he rose from grass to grace.
“Ijewuru Day” was designed as an eating competition in which many people won prizes courtesy of the artist, who also invited a couple of secondary school teachers to give encouraging talks on how the youths could be like him or even better.
Omofemi’s feat of painting Queen Elizabeth II of blessed memory has given his art “a new dimension entirely,” besides “projecting not only myself, family state and country.” He also remembered telling himself when he set out to work on the portrait, “This is not just about painting a portrait. It’s about me making a visual statement.”
In addition, “One of the things that motivated me while I did the portrait was that I knew I was going to do it for posterity; I was going to paint it for myself; I was going to paint it for my country; I was going to paint it for my family and children’s children to see that there was a time Omofemi painted the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Of course, the programme went very well. I have been getting recognition from far and wide,” he said.
Recently, he was privileged to meet his state governor, Seyi Makinde, who was exceedingly grateful that one of his subjects achieved the feat of painting the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
“He met with me officially with his deputy, and he was happy to receive me at the Government House, Ibadan, where I discussed with him how the portrait was commissioned and how I was invited to Buckingham Palace by Prince Charles,” he recalled.
The artist also intends to initiate a project for his alma mater, Ibadan Polytechnic, which has become an eyesore. “I feel so sad about the whole thing. It’s part of the things I discussed with the state governor, who has agreed to step in. This is part of what came from the recognition I got from painting the queen of England. I am happy this is happening in my lifetime.”
The portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was not a direct commission from Buckingham Palace, though, but via a UK magazine, Tatter, and it’s still housed in London. During an exhibition in London last year, however, there were offers from collectors, but he decided not to sell.
He was thinking of returning the portrait to Nigeria to be kept in a museum to attract art aficionados from all over the world, but it wasn’t advisable due to the uncertain security situation in the country, he felt.
Very soon, Omofemi will be travelling to Spain for a short residency programme. Most of the works that will feature in the residency were actually painted by him during a visit to Spain. He will also be exhibiting in New York this year.
“One of the major projects for me this year is the museum exhibition coming up in Spain,” he remarked.
The artist has a company called Piece Unique, which aims at “promoting art in Nigeria and also, most especially, giving Nigerian artists a platform to locate their artworks both in the country and outside.” The initiative is a collaboration between Omofemi and his friends, which will also see Nigerian artists exhibit home and abroad, as well as manage their careers, because it is a marketing, branding and promotional outfit.
Omofemi is excited that more Nigerians are patronising and investing in art: “it’s very good to invest in art rather than invest in drugs and cocaine,” he said.
“In the contemporary field today, we have beyond traditional collectors, who have seen art as something valuable, worth investing in, not just buying cars and lands. So the turnout has been so impressive, both in Nigeria and abroad,” he echoed.