Born in Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State, Tobi Adewumi is one of the most sought-after visual artists in Nigeria. Locally known for creating original, exclusive and profitable artworks and craft, Tobi emerged in the wake of the influence of art masters around the world.
A Computer Science graduate, Tobi’s foray into arts started at childhood with comics and paper crafts which later developed into drawings and paintings. As an acclaimed self-taught artist, he now works in virtually all traditional art media and contemporary mixed media and he’s the creative director of Otobi Artworld since 2012. His artworks have been exhibited in several locations around the world and they are currently on display in several homes, offices and galleries around the world.
Tobi’s journey into the world of art started before he was a graduate of computer science. He discovered this flair in his secondary school and he kept working on it and won a national art competition by Nigerian conservative foundation and Fanta. This act opened his eyes to what he could achieve and he kept working on it and throughout his university days, he did a lot of art to make money and it got bigger.
Tobi’s live paintings are simply astonishing, he paints in 5-7minutes live! He tells me it is about practice and study of the face he is painting. He calls his type of art ‘broad’, realism painting, drawing and also documentary photography among others.
Tobi’s unique art of painting upside-down and turning the finished product right-side-up is worthy of commendation. I have hosted two events where he did this right before my eyes and I was truly fascinated. His response to this is that practice has been his mantra aside getting a precise position of the face or personality he is doing a live painting for “Painting upside down is to keep my audience in suspense and keep them guessing till I’m done. Accuracy comes with working more on my craft. I discovered I could do that in 2010 and I was featured on moments with mo in 2011.”
The list of dignitaries Tobi has painted includes Late Obafemi Awolowo, Barrack Obama, First Lady of Kwara State, Omolewa Ahmed, Funke Felix Adejumo among others. Tobi is however looking forward to painting President Buhari, Aliko Dangote, The Queen of England, Oprah Winfery and other influential people in the world.
Art business could be lucrative depending on how the artist advertises the artworks. “It’s very bad that art/painting is not rated among the front line businesses in Nigeria because internationally, artworks go for millions of dollars and the artist feels fulfilled. I hope the government and corporate organisations work more with artists in Nigeria. We also have what it takes right here.”
Tobi has managed Otobi World since inception and has been involved with various art exhibitions both solo and group art competitions in Nigeria and abroad. “We have organised art workshops for kids and we have an art exchange with an organisation in USA (Creative Connections), art commissions for organisations, partnered with galleries to display speed paintings and Art Foundation to help the poor through art.”
Tobi is hopeful about the future, he anticipates doing his art residency, stage a national art exhibition, create art competitions for kids, get a grant, organise more art trainings and lastly get his art gallery (a state of art) in Ibadan which will bring people from all over the world to the largest indigenous city in Africa, Ibadan!
KEMI AJUMOBI
