This spotlight features Olumide Onadipe. Olumide Onadipe (b. 1982) is a multidisciplinary visual artist whose idiosyncratic sculptures are built using diverse media including plastics.

He studied arts and education at the University of Nigeria Nsukka and the University of Lagos, where he graduated with a master’s degree in 2012. He has taken part in group exhibitions in London, Germany, Ghana, Nigeria and USA.

Olumide’s major collaborations include an artist residency and Open Studios exhibition with Arthouse Contemporary (2016), Colours of Hope in partnership with the Cancer Foundation (CLWCF), Children Living with Cancer Foundation (2014), American Nigerian Cultural Collaborative Project, US Consulate and Nike Art Gallery Lagos (2013), and Beyond Boundaries, Nubuke Foundation, Accra (2013), to name a few.

View an e-catalogue of his works here.

Can you share a brief bio?

I am an artist. I reside and have my studio in Lagos, Nigeria. My career practice is deeply integrated with family life. I am married, and we have two boys.

What time does your alarm go off?

I follow my circadian flow.

What do your mornings typically look like?

I often wake up by 6 am to start my meditation and prayer till 7 am. After which, I have my exercise for 30 minutes and subsequent 30 minutes for reading before I begin any studio activity.

How did you get on this career path? 

Becoming an artist was accidental. My mum advised me to study art to prevent me from idling around. And it turned out to be the right suggestion.

Tell us what a typical day looks like.

Aside from my regular morning startups, my typical day is usually erratic, and it is characterised by the activities of the previous day.

Can you share some of your most memorable moments? 

My materials include newspapers, plastic bags, and used clothing, among others. A few years ago, my assistant’s friend’s landlady was trying to dispose of her children’s outgrown and old wears. And knowing the nature of his friend’s work, he put in a word for us to have the clothes given to us rather than to the landfill. We agreed on a date to come over for pick up. We showed up, and immediately she had her sight on me, my unkempt hair, my bushy beards; she scrunched her face in superstitious disapproval and refused to release her waste to us. I was particularly not too surprised as it all played out before me. It was part of what I should expect as an artist.

The creative sector should not tire of teaching and educating people about our society. Many people are incapable of conscious thought or rational processing on the issues shaping their lives. So, the artist must analyse and interpret these core issues in their work. I believe good living is inevitable once the meaning is found, and the creative sector can help society find meaning.

What do you love most about what you do?

What I relish most about my job as an artist is that it affords me the privilege of conscious awareness. The privilege to actively participate in the events that shape our reality.

What do you not like about what you do?

Awareness can be burdensome. The artist’s mind is constantly trying to analyse, interpret, evaluate and conceptualise his environment. And because he is a master of his time, he becomes a slave to it as he finds it challenging to know when to stop, when to rest.

What do you do after work?
I rest. I read. I think.

And what do you do at the weekends?

My weekends are not so different from my weekends. On Sundays, I go to church and have intentional rest afterwards.

Who in the creative industry (globally) inspires you and why?

I think everybody does. I am a very receptive learner. However, people like Kainebi Osahenye, OgbemiHeymann, El Atnatsui, and Abiodun Olaku, among others, inspire me.

What does the societal change mean to you?

Societal changes are subtle and overt realities constantly shaping how people think and perceive themselves and their environment.

In your opinion, how can the creative industries contribute to social change/social cohesion/improve the Nigerian society?

The creative sector should not tire of teaching and educating people about our society. Many people are incapable of conscious thought or rational processing on the issues shaping their lives. So, the artist must analyse and interpret these core issues in their work. I believe good living is inevitable once meaning is found, and the creative sector can help society find that meaning.

If you were not doing what you are doing now, what career path would you be on?

To be frank, now, being an artist, it is kind of difficult for me to conceptualise life outside what I am now. And that is why I have been a studio artist for eighteen years and counting.