Oluwafemi Afolabi

GÈLÈ 1 (Head Tie) Acrylic Painting in Pop Art Style, Unframed

2022

Oluwafemi Afolabi is a Nigerian contemporary painter whose works explore resilience, motherhood, survival, and identity through the symbolic use of bats and Ankara fabric. Born in Northern Nigeria and originally from Ogbomoso, Oyo State, his artistic journey is deeply rooted in personal history, memory, and cultural experience.

His introduction to art began informally after secondary school while training in graphic design and sign writing at Mide Print in Oyo Town. Driven by a lifelong passion for visual storytelling, he later studied Painting and Graphic Arts at Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo, graduating in 2017, and further obtained a degree in Fine and Applied Arts from Obafemi Awolowo University.Oluwafemi’s paintings are recognized for their expressive figurative style and recurring bat imagery, a symbol drawn from his childhood experiences in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State.

Equally significant in his paintings is Ankara fabric, which symbolizes sacrifice, dignity, and motherhood. His mother’s constant use of Ankara as an affordable yet elegant fabric became a lasting reminder of her selflessness and determination to provide for her children after the loss of his father. In Oluwafemi’s work, each Ankara pattern is carefully and meticulously painted and is transformed from ordinary textile into a visual language of love, endurance, and cultural pride.

Through layered compositions, symbolic figures, and emotionally charged narratives, Oluwafemi creates paintings that speak to overlooked lives and everyday struggles while emphasizing hope, perseverance, and human strength. His works invite viewers into stories of survival, emotional connection, and the quiet heroism often found within African homes and communities.

Artist Statement

My art is a reflection of memory, survival, and human resilience. I explore stories that are often overlooked: stories of sacrifice, motherhood, struggle, hope, and identity.

The recurring bat in my work is not a symbol of fear, but of endurance. It comes from my childhood experiences and from a Yoruba proverb my mother shared with me during one of the most difficult seasons of our lives: “If a bat has only one hand left, it will still hold onto the tree.” That philosophy shaped my understanding of survival and continues to guide my practice.

Ankara fabric also plays an important role in my paintings. Beyond its beauty, it represents my mother’s sacrifices, her decision to live simply so her children could have a better future. In my work, Ankara becomes a symbol of dignity, love, sacrificial, and intentional motherhood.

As an introverted person, painting became my voice and my way of connecting with the world. My figures, textures, and symbols are created to encourage those who feel unseen, discouraged, or burdened by life’s realities. I want my work to remind people that even in uncertainty, hope can still survive.