Ajao Babatunde Lawal, Picnic in the Twilight (Besotho Queens) 2023
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Artwork
“Basotho Queens, 2023 (Oil on canvas 174cm X 114cm) is a tribute to the women of the mountain kingdom of Lesotho.
A place I’m lucky to call a home away from home.”
Artist
Born and raised in Ibadan, Lagos, Nigeria, Ajao is a multidisciplinary artist who recently graduated with a Second Class Honours, Grade 1 in Fine Art (Painting) from the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) in Dublin. After exploring several career paths, including business, social care, and nursing, Ajao ultimately pursued his passion for art education with the encouragement of newly made friends and loved ones.
Ajao's body of work reflects a diverse range of themes. His painting explores various aspects of life as the author has experienced them and as they still exist in the modern world. These themes encompass ordinary daily events, history, personal experiences, and imagination. Ajao's art serves as a platform for celebrating the vibrant African culture and the inherent beauty it encompasses. It is an artistic expression and a narrative of his African heritage, life, and traditions. Ajao utilises his art to convey hope and inspiration to families worldwide. Ajao's art is deeply rooted in the life experiences of actual black individuals. Themes of love, hope, nature, culture, rituals, traditions, courage, humility, and serenity characterise his work.
Ajao's artistic portfolio encompasses a diverse range of subjects, such as figurative art, portraiture, nature, abstract art, and more. Ajao's unquenchable passion is to preserve and promote African culture, while also advocating for equal representation for aspiring artists in our diverse and multicultural society.
Ajao's work has been featured in several group exhibitions over the past few years. Currently, his work is on display at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in Dublin until the 3rd of March 2024, alongside the works of other shortlisted artists as part of the 2023 RDS Visual Art Awards.
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