Gbolahan Ayoola

Gbolahan Adetomiwo Ayoola (HRH), (descendant of Obatala) is a Lagos-based award-winning artist. Known for the personal, emotive, deep and spiritual nature of his art, employing symbols and signs inspired by his African heritage, Ayoola’s work combines the figurative and the abstract and draws on his own dreams and memories of racial tensions, as well as the history of Nigerian culture.
His series, ‘BlueWoman’, has been heralded for its creativity and depth in the advocacy for human values. Ayoola’s abstract expressionist and symbolic compositions are created using acrylics, pastels, pencil and charcoal.
==Early life and Education==
Ayoola (born August 11, 1977 at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria) studied for a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts Education from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun state, Nigeria between 1998 and 2002 and later went on to partake in a one year studio residency at the Château d'Orquevaux Artists & Writers Residency in Champagne-Ardenne, France with other illustrious artists like Chief Tola Wewe, one of Nigeria’s foremost international artists.
==Career==
Ayoola’s art features a variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, mixed media, and digital art. As the coronavirus pandemic began in April 2020, Ayoola started a series of large-scale paintings, named, We are Reagents — and painted in response to the growing social and political crisis. That series was on view at Nigeria’s four-day international art fair – Art X Lagos in 2021.
His other works have also been a part of numerous exhibitions at different times, including:
2023 Oda Art Gallery, Lagos
2023 Alexis Gallery, Lagos
2022 Art X, Lagos
2022 ChilliArts Project, London UK
2021 Art X, Lagos
2020 What is drawing? - Kanbi Contemporary, London, UK
2018 Journey to Mastery - Didi Museum, Lagos, Nigeria
2017 AYOOLA - Rele Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria
2014 Metal - Face and Cocks - Signature - Beyond Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria
2011 The Last Pictures Show - Gondwana, Paris, France
2011 Arc Gallery - London, UK
2010 The Last Pictures Show VII - Gondwana, Douala, Cameroon
2008 Unbreakable Nigerian Spirit - Galerie 23, Amsterdam, Holland
2008 The World Bank Africa Now - Washington DC, U.S.A.
==Notable Projects==
In April 2023, Ayoola’s “BlueWoman” series was acquired and on display as sports giant Adidas announced the opening of its first flagship store in Lagos, Nigeria. Two years earlier, the Glenfiddich Whisky brand had selected Ayoola among “the world’s most exciting artists from 19 countries” to collaborate in the creation of a cross-cultural re-imagination of a new brand addition bottle design for one of the company’s whiskeys. The art he designed for Glenfiddich was later auctioned as a part of limited edition-signed sleeves, and proceeds were donated to local art foundations in Nigeria like African Art Foundation and the Ben Enwonwu Foundation. 
In December of the same year, Ayoola was among shortlisted mural artists, like Kingsley Effiong and Perpetual Cyril whom Coca-Cola engaged to paint monumental wall murals on key sites across all regions in Nigeria, to provide comfort and hope to society during the pandemic.
==Recognitions==
On the occasion of Nigeria’s Independence Day celebration in 2013, Ayoola was honoured to present his BlueWoman series at the Nigerian High Commissioner’s residence in Loresho, Nairobi. On the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday in 2015, he also presented a series of BlueWoman paintings including the portrait of the Queen at the British High Commission in Lagos, Nigeria. In August 2017, he collaborated with Funmi Iyanda at the Oya Chronicles exhibition in London, UK. 
==Awards==
2023: The Denis Diderot A-i-R Grant
2009: Winner, National Art Competition organized by the Nigeria Breweries and African Artists' Foundation, Heineken International, Nigeria.
2007: Catalonia painting was collected by the National Gallery of Art, Nigeria.
2007: Nigeria Art Master Award, Embassy of Greece in Nigeria. 
==Publications==
Ayoola’s work has been featured in prominent art publications including:
▪ Ake Review Volume 7, 2020
▪ Contemporary Nigerian Art in Lagos Private Collections; New Trees in an Old Forest, Published by Bookcraft, 2012
▪ 101 Nigerian Artists. Chukuemeka Bosah and George Edozie, published by Ben Bosah books, 2010
▪ IJINLE, Aisha and Gbenga Oyebode collection by Adenrele Sonariwo. 
Artworks from Ayoola’s collection have also been featured in a series of notable BIPOC-lead films such as Ava Duvernay's "When They See Us," "Harlem," starring Meagan Good, as well as "Hit and Run". His work, Bluewoman, was used to symbolize the strength of a woman's impact in defining moments. 
Category:1977 births
Category:People from Ibadan
Category:Nigerian people
Category:Obafemi Awolowo University alumni
Category:Artists