Odunbori expresses interest in exploring black subjects and vintage damask patterns, seeing this as a way to reinvent the old in a new light. --Art Upon, 2022
Olalekan Odunbori was born and raised in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. He discovered his talent early on while he was in primary school and then decided to take this passion further by studying Fine Art at Yaba College of Technology for his tertiary education. He majored in painting and graduated in 2012 with Distinction. He favored Acrylic on canvas. He is from the Yoruba ethnic group and his ethnicity and his people great influence and inspires his art.
Olalekan's current style can be described as 'semi-abstract art,' drawing on the Cubism Movement. His works explore and celebrate the tribulations and triumphs of Africans in a contemporary way and he loves to express his ideas using distorted forms, pure colours, African motifs and patterns.
Olalekan lives in the busy and vibrant city of Lagos, Nigeria, and his favorite thing about the city is how it affords him a pool of endless inspiration. Everywhere he turns, there is a story waiting to be told or one already taking place. His work mirrors his environment, so it is only right that it expresses the ever-bubbling city of Lagos where people of different backgrounds live and do business. The vibrancy and tenacity of this city and its people are unmatched.