Ademola Ojo.

Portfolio.

Artist Statement.

There is a saying in Yoruba Land that says:
‘Odo to Gbagbe Orisun re, yoo gbe’ (Any river that forgets its source will dry).

Ademola Ojo.

Culture is meant to be passed from one generation to another generation. The height by which indigenous culture is seen as primitive cannot be overemphasized. Hence my umpteen works tend to take us back to the cradle of the black identity exploring the Ife bronze head as a metaphorical tool for discussion of our Identity, similarities, and uniqueness as black people. In consideration of Ile-Ife as the exact site of creation. That is where gods descended from heaven and created the world as we know it in Yoruba history. Ife was founded by deities. Oduduwa and Obatala fashioned the first human out of clay.

The average indigenous Africans need to have an in-depth understanding of their cultural identity and appreciate their peculiarity as black people. There must be someone to document who we are, what we have, and where we hail from as Black People for the next generation not to misrepresent themselves as a result of the effect of colonization. My art tends to document the current state of the effect of colonization in our indigenous black culture by documenting the current social way of life in our immediate environment and human phenomenon: with a view of communicating our experience, time, season, value, beliefs, and civilization to the next generation.

Artist Biography.

Ademola Ojo (b. 1995) hails from the ancient city of Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. He studied Fine & Applied Arts at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. Ojo’s work seeks to outline the history, culture, and identity of the Ife people. The characterization of his work is by scarification patterns. Inspired by the popular known Ife Bronze Head, to depict the Tribal Identity of the Yoruba people. Also, Ademola Ojo is a highly skillful painter. And tactically employs the use of oil and acrylic on usually large-scale canvases to advocate for his culture, idiosyncrasies, and the importance of the bronze head to his people. Who hold a high reverence for the head as an integral part of one’s identity and fate. Ojo’s work explores the effect of western contemporary culture and its influence on the culture and style of the present generation.

Among the exhibitions Ademola Ojo has participated in are:

• SCOPE MIAMI BEACH ART SHOW – 2022.
• ART FROM THE MOTHERLAND NY – 2022.
• IDENTITY: WHO ARE YOU? at 1952 Africa Art Accelerator, Lagos (2022).
• Next of Kin Group Exhibition at Thought Pyramid Art Gallery, Lagos (2022).
• SOGAL AUCTION at Signature Beyond Art Gallery, Lagos (2021).
• Exposicion International AFRO ART BARCELONA 2021 and Vision 2020: So far, So what? Limcaf 2020.

Social Page: Instagram.