Oluwole Omofemi

Oluwole Omofemi, born 1988, hails from Edo south in Nigeria. He lives and works in Ibadan, Nigeria. He is a contemporary artist who focusses on portraitures. With his masterful painting technique, he is not concerned with photorealism. His paintings move beyond physical likeness. Rather than documenting only how a subject appears, he seeks to preserve presence capturing emotional, cultural, and symbolic realities that extend beyond the visible. He observes his subjects in various situations and moods. In this way, he explores the complexity of their personalities and identities, which he distills in his works in an impressive manner. He combines psychological inquiry, spiritual preservation, and cultural memory. 

Working primarily in oil and acrylic, he has developed a distinct visual language characterized by saturated color fields, flattened pictorial space, and the recurring use of afro-textured hair rendered in abstracted forms. Hair, a recurring element within his work, operates as both a formal and symbolic structure connected to ancestry, spirituality, and self-definition.

Since his debut solo exhibition, Iriri (Experience) at Alexis Gallery, Lagos, in 2019, Omofemi has established an international exhibition presence across London, Barcelona, New York, and beyond. Selected solo exhibitions include In Our Days (London, 2021), A Woman’s Worth (Barcelona, 2022), Reverence Chapter 1: Jean-Michel Basquiat (London, 2025), Rebirth I (Spain, 2025) and Quiet Territories (Morocco, 2026). His work has also been presented in exhibitions and fairs including Self Addressed, curated by Kehinde Wiley at Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, Los Angeles; 1-54 London; 1-54 New York; Volta New York Art Fair; and Sotheby’s, London.

Omofemi’s practice frequently enters into dialogue with broader art historical traditions. Works such as Providence (2022) reinterpret Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss through an African contemporary lens, while Reverence Chapter 1: Jean-Michel Basquiat explored questions of Black authorship, legacy, and cultural visibility through a critical engagement with Basquiat’s influence.

In 2022, he received special recognition following his commission by Tatler Magazine to produce a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Rather than depicting the monarch in old age, he portrayed her at the height of her symbolic authority, using vibrant yellow fields, the St. Edward’s Crown, and the inclusion of Costus Spectabilis, Nigeria’s national flower, to create a dialogue between British royal iconography and African cultural symbolism. In 2026, he painted a portrait of Prince William for Tatler’s June issue, extending his exploration of portraiture, continuity, and historical presence within a global context.

“I paint people not simply as subjects to be seen, but as presences to be remembered. Through painting, I attempt to preserve memory, identity, emotion, and the invisible connection between humanity and the spiritual realm.” Color plays a central role inhis work. Influenced by artists such as Andy Warhol, he approaches color psychologically rather than naturalistically, using primary and secondary palettes to heighten emotional atmosphere and symbolic presence. “Whether depicting anonymous figures, intimate relationships, or historical subjects, my intention remains consistent: to construct portraits that function as memory, monument, and cultural continuity.”