STUDIO MEMBER
Abolore Sobayo
Painter
I am a multidisciplinary artist with almost two decades of studio experience in the cultural, creative, and educational sectors.
My creations are multifaceted, multimedia contemporary artworks; they are designed to be thought-provoking, generate robust debate as well as reference history while using the art as a tool to inspire positive change. Research is an integral aspect of my work. As such, I turn to published literature, photographs, videos, and oral histories for the mental framing of my pieces to ensure that the works also embody lived experiences.
I relocated to the UK through the Global Talent Visa route a few (a couple) of years ago. Creativity is central to my being, creating art, teaching, sharing my vision, and mentoring young adults in their creative journey. I established an art center in one of the most deprived suburbs in Lagos, which took young adults off the street and into the studio. The center continues to strive and has been a lifeline for many young people who feel dispossessed and unheard.
As an artist, I have created four public art installations dotted around the heaving metropolis of Nigeria, Lagos. I have had five solo exhibitions, with one recently concluded at the University of Kent, Canterbury, and participated in multiple group exhibitions across four continents. My works have gained regional, national, and international recognition. I have also participated in three international residencies; United World College, Phuket, Thailand, Creation Residency, Ballhaus Naunynstrssse, Berlin, Germany, including a recently concluded residency at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), Rochester, where I engaged the further education students.
