Oluwole OMOFEMI
Lost Identity, 2021
About
Raised predominantly in the company of his grandfather who shaped Oluwole’s worldview and greatly informed his understanding of his culture, and his appreciation for his heritage and identity; Oluwole was inspired by his grandfather’s period which nurtured the generation of Nigerians who fought for independence against colonial rule, and embraced the notion of self determination, and their Africanness.
Prevalent in his work are overtones of nostalgia and longing for what the artist suggests to be a golden age for the esteem, strength and beauty of black women. Conversely, Oluwole’s work infers that as time has proceeded, there has actually been a regression in the true liberty and emancipation of black women as far as their ability to embrace their most true and authentic versions of themselves, which is anchored in their Africanness, seen and felt viscerally through their skin tone and hair.
Metamorphosis III, 2020
Omonalisa VI, 2021-
White Cat, 2021
Moreover, Oluwole’s commentary on the suggested regression and plight of modern black women, and the need to reflect on and return to their former glory, has implications for the familial and relationship dynamic between black men and black women, and the topical subject of the decline of intermarriage, understanding and cohesion between the two.
Yet, despite what on face value could appear to be a bleak outlook, Oluwole’s overarching raison d’être and mission is to showcase afrocentric pride, which he maintains can only truly be championed through how black women, his muses, view themselves, and in turn are viewed by others. For Oluwole, true liberty and emancipation for Africa, and black people at large, can only be achieved and realised once, black women are free to be their true selves and embraced and celebrated as they are.
Raphael Dapaah | Art writer, consultant & contributor | Dapaah Gallery | Polo Lifestyles Magazine (tekst Out of Africa Gallery)