Lagos – A veteran artist, Adeyinka Akingbade, on Monday urged the nation’s youths to embrace visual arts as a profession to enable them become self-reliant.
Akingbade told the News agency of Nigerian (NAN) in Lagos that there were lots of inspiring developments in the society that could serve as an inspiration for up-and-coming visual artists.
He said that more youths embracing creative arts would stimulate the awareness of people in visual arts and open up commercial opportunities.
“My works tell stories inspired from personal experience.
“I believe everyone faces similar situations in different phases of life and it will help many youths recreate what have been happening in their various environments.
“It is stories we should endeavour to create and pass on to other generations.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
“Hopefully, my work might be telepathic to someone somewhere experiencing the same struggles and dreams.
“My style of creating faceless portraits is also inspired from being a fan of the musician, Lagbaja, whose masked visage symbolises the facelessness of mankind.’’
Akingbade said that he usually poured out his feelings into his work for the world to see, and believed that others would be hopefully inspired.
He told NAN that while he was growing up, he had a very close relationship with his father who usually urged him and his siblings to strive for excellence.
“I was encouraged by my father who then suggested I served as an apprentice to a roadside artist on weekends.
“That was where I learnt rubber stamps, screen printing, banner and signage designs,” he said.
Akingbade stressed that his works were a reflection of his life and the world around him.
“As a Christian and someone with empathy, I am inspired by life experiences which generate most of my themes.’’
NAN reports that some of Akingbade’s recently exhibited works are:
“Embracing My Dream’’, “Priorities’’, “Okun Omo Iya’’, “Iya ni Wura’’, “The Making of the King’’ and “State of the Mind’’. (NAN)