Episode 270

Photo: Courtesy of the artist.

Ep.270 Working primarily within the medium of painting AYOTUNDE OJO is a Nigerian artist whose practice explores the emotional intensity of human relationships and experiences.

Born in 1995, Ayotunde Ojo is a Nigerian artist whose practice explores the emotional intensity of human relationships and experiences. Working primarily within the medium of painting, his work draws inspiration from the intimate moments in daily life, the unspoken language of bodily gestures and the hidden tranquillity of interior spaces.

“I am interested in making paintings that contemplate the silent conversations that go on between self and space, pivoting between scenes of everyday life,” he has noted. “I am drawn to the idea of solitude and the melancholy that often accompanies these moments within a lived space.”

Whether representing himself or close friends, Ojo views his paintings as self-portraits influenced by memory, the subconscious, encounters and exchange with people and his environment.

Ojo completed a degree in fine art and graphic design from the Yaba College of Technology in Lagos in 2018. He works in a variety of mediums including charcoal, pastel, oil and acrylic, and embraces a muted colour palette, allowing for subtle tones and delicate hues to create an introspective and somber mood.

His debut solo exhibition, These Four Walls, opened in 2024 at Southern Guild Cape Town. Ojo’s work has otherwise been included in group shows at Volery Gallery (Dubai), Harper’s Books (New York), Dida Gallery (Abidjan), Ko Gallery (Lagos), Rele Gallery (Lagos), and Mauani Mercier Gallery (Zaventem, Belgium). He has held residencies at Dida Gallery in Abidjan, Superzoom Art Gallery in Paris, and Southern Guild’s GUILD Residency in Cape Town in 2024. Southern Guild has also presented his work at Investec Cape Town Art Fair (2024) and at Expo Chicago (2024).

Artist https://www.ojoayotunde.com/

Southern Guild https://southernguild.com/artists/ayotunde-ojo

Tiwani Contemporary https://www.tiwani.co.uk/artists/132-ayotunde-ojo/

Litro Magazine https://www.litromagazine.com/arts-and-culture/ayotunde-ojos-rooms-refuse-to-stay-still-at-tiwani-contemporary-lagos/

Volery Gallery https://www.volerygallery.com/ojo-ayotunde

Metal Magazine https://metalmagazine.eu/en/post/ojo-ayotunde-a-call-to-pause

Maruani Mercier https://maruanimercier.com/artworks/4240-ojo-ayotunde-unanswered-2023/

Frieze https://www.frieze.com/tags/ayotunde-ojo | https://www.frieze.com/event/ayotunde-ojo-life-its-own

Knowthisartist https://knowthisartist.com/artists/ayotunde-ojo

C& | Contemporaryand https://contemporaryand.com/en/events/ayotunde-ojo-these-four-walls

Counterpoint 2025
60” by 62” inches
Oil, acrylic and charcoal on canvas
Photo credit: Yinka Babalola