Lagos-based, Nigerian artist Olamide Ogunade takes inspiration from his personal experiences and aspects of African society to create lush portrait paintings. Ogunade uses a range of mediums, such as ballpoint pen, acrylic and oil paints, charcoal, and pencil.
My art is an expression of figurative images using charcoal and colors to give it a contemporary look. It talks about situations in African society. The skin is an essential thing. I love to create it by focusing on such details as contrast. The dark hue of the skin is usually accompanied with vibrant colors for that complementary yinyang color contrast. I then sum up the work with bubbles – this captures the temporariness of the pressures we face. (…) My theme and messages focus on the situations in Africa – corruption, self-esteem, negligence, greed, e.t.c, also the inferiority complex suffered by Africans. My aim is to use my art to rid the society of these ills. I believe in the potentials of the African continent and I believe we can achieve greatness if we unite.
Olamide Ogunade
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