The Artist Born in Oyo State Nigeria in 1952, Ademola Akintola has exhibited widely both in Africa, Europe and USA. He is a self-taught artist and brings us a series of lively paintings which are visual narratives of African storytelling, combined with the political realities of contemporary life. Ademola Akintola’s mother Mrs Moshobalaje Alice Akintola was very creative, and passed the artistic gene to Ademola and his brothers and they in their turn, to their children. Ademola’s art consciousness started when he was about eight years old, he would draw, model with clay, or carve using thorns from cotton-silk tree in his free time, portraying everyday life. He was influenced by the hand carved wooden posts, pillars, wall paintings and decorations of the King of Oyo’s palace and the famous calabash carvers with their very intricate designs. His father never wanted him to be an artist. But in his final year in secondary school his dad bought him art materials, after he realised that Ademola couldn’t be dissuaded from doing art anymore. He decided not to take up an offer to study art the Yaba College of Technology. After teaching in an elementary school for a year, he spent the next 5 years touring Africa from the West to the North, painting portraits of prominent people and graphic illustrations for advertising companies to support himself. Exposure to various African art forms gave him quite an insight into various African cultures and has heavily influenced his Art. After completing several residencies in the US, he was offered a residency at the Tate and moved permanently to the UK in 1990. Ademola Akintola is now widely recognised as one of the current foremost African/British artists. Over the years, with several highly prestigious and successful solo exhibitions, he has participated in a number of significant group shows, most notably “Aids in the Black community” and “Black Family Exhibition”. After having worked mainly in his local community for the last 20 years he is now back in full force with new international exhibitions.
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