Untitled

Adekunle Makanjuola Adegborioye is a contemporary Nigerian painter sculptor born in 1966 in Ibadan, Oyo state. He obtained an OND (Ordinary National Diploma) from Ibadan Polytechnic, Ibadan in 1986 and a HND (Higher National Diploma) in painting from Yaba College of Technology, Lagos in 1989. He participated in the Margo Humphrey printmaking workshop, Yaba College of Technology, 1989. Kunle relocated to the UK in the early 90s for his Master’s Degree programme and has been practicing there ever since. Despite being based abroad, his works which vary from pictorial compositions, portraits filled with texts, landscapes, abstract to mixed media works reflect on his child and adulthood experiences while in Nigeria, the changes in the socio-political landscape of the country and different issues of national importance. In 2018, Kunle hosted a solo exhibition at Omenka Gallery, Lagos titled “Nostalgia”, which dwelt on the current state of the nation and his dilemma to come back home again. He admits his academic exposure and training in the UK has greatly influenced his style and the quality of his works as an artist. He is a member of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA).

This Untitled work is a portrait of a young woman, probably of Fulani origin. The dominant colours used to outline the head and the body are black and blue while a mixture of yellow, red, orange, green and purple were used for her necklaces and ear rings. On a closer look, inscriptions inspired by contemporary events can be found on different parts of the work. One of them says, “they shall tell us their sins & lo, we shall spill the beans” while another is an invitation to dance saying “Come O ye faithful and throw down massive shapes: Novelty Dancing”. Kunle also inscribed the name of famous British actress, Keira Knightley, on another part, probably meditating on his life in the UK and his love for british movies.