Akinbanji Osanyemi was born in 1989 in Lagos, Nigeria. He pursued a degree in Economics at Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State before dedicating himself fully to art. Despite his formal education in a different field, Akinbanji is a self-taught artist whose academic background has only enhanced his thoughtful, observant approach to visual storytelling. Over the past decade, he...
Akinbanji Osanyemi was born in 1989 in Lagos, Nigeria. He pursued a degree in Economics at Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State before dedicating himself fully to art. Despite his formal education in a different field, Akinbanji is a self-taught artist whose academic background has only enhanced his thoughtful, observant approach to visual storytelling. Over the past decade, he has carved a unique space in the contemporary Nigerian art scene through his skillful mastery of realism and mixed media, often incorporating charcoal, acrylic, collage, and textured surfaces like newspaper and textbook pages. His signature grayscale palette inspired by the world as seen by newborns brings emotional vulnerability and depth to his work, underscoring themes of innocence, introspection, and shared human experience Since around 2018, Akinbanji has shown his work extensively in prominent exhibitions and art fairs. He's participated in shows such as IMAGINENATIVES, BALD IS BEAUTIFUL (Alexis Gallery, Lagos), Landscape (Brick Lane Gallery, London), and Visual Explorations III (Ogirikan Gallery, Lagos). He's also been featured in events like the Miniature Art Fair (Lagos) and the ArtAWhirl fair in Minneapolis, USA.
Akinbanji Osanyemi's artistic journey is characterized by his ability to fuse technical precision with conceptual nuance. His charcoal portraits and surreal collages invite viewers into rich, emotional landscapes challenging them to reflect on societal issues, identity, and environment. At just 36 years old, he stands as a powerful voice in African contemporary art, with a growing international presence and a career thats still on the rise.
Akinbanji Osayemi
The "Weightless" collage is a human silhouette made of fragmented texts, images, and headlines against a red backdrop. The figure, a metaphor for the modern self, floats with a paradoxical stillness, representing the calm of choosing simplicity after information saturation.
