Wole Lagunju

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Wole Olagoke Lagunju was born in 1966.  He is a contemporary Yoruba artists trained in graphic design at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University). He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts in 1986.  Wole is an accomplished illustrator, graphic designer, installation artists and painter.

 

From his early childhood experiences in Oshogbo into his professional life in Urban Lagos, Wole’s world is dedicated to re-imaging the forms and philosophies of traditional Yoruba Art and Design. His paintings and installations featuring the Yoruba adire fabric interrogate and explore themes regarding the changing nature of the traditional African market, a change that is primarily initiated by contemporary globalization while his recent series which draw upon images of Gelede masks and the Victorian era critique the racial and social hierarchies of the 19th century.

 

Wole was awarded a Philip Ravenhill fellowship by UCLA in 2006 and a Pollock Krasner award in 2009.

 

He lives in the United States.