PROFILES FROM ART X: ABE ODEDINA

Funke Babs-Kufeji speaks to Abe Odedina following his exhibition at Art X Lagos 2019 for THISDAY Style magazine.

Abe Odedina is a phenomenal self-taught artist who was a successful architect before a trip to Brazil in 2007 sparked his creativity to become a visual artist. He describes himself as a folk artist and his art is richly inspired by the Africa spiritual beliefs, philosophies, ritual, music and arts. His painting delights in the use of colour and imaginative pictorial statement. These qualities are rooted in the tradition of expressive figurative paintings that can be found in the streets in cities like Lagos, Salvador, or Port-au Prince adorning the sides of lorries, on the wall of temples, beer parlours, love motels, vulcanizers and more. Abe, who recently returned to Lagos after a very long time to exhibit at the just concluded Art X Fair, spoke to Funke Babs-Kufeji on his journey as an artist and his experience on coming home to his motherland.

Read the full interview here.