Opeyemi Olukotun

Home: Brandon, Manitoba
Title: A Cup of Silence
Media: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 150 x 120 cm
Instagram: @opeyemiolukotun

ARTIST STATEMENT

My practice explores the intersections of migration, identity and resilience through figurative painting. Working primarily with acrylic on canvas, I use layered brushwork, expressive colour, and visible sketchy lines to uncover both vulnerability and strength. In A Cup of Silence, I depict a seated figure holding a cup in a moment of quiet introspection. The surrounding chairs suggest both presence and absence, evoking themes of displacement, memory and solitude. The work reflects the emotional negotiations of migration. The stillness, silence and resilience required in the search for belonging.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Opeyemi Olukotun is a Nigerian-Canadian visual artist whose work bridges lived experiences of migration with expressive figuration. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Fine and Applied Art from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Nigeria, in 2012 and later completed a postgraduate in Education in 2016. He also studied under prominent Nigerian artists including Abiodun Olaku, Bunmi Babatunde, Edosa Oguigo, Wallace Ejoh and Joshua Nmesirionye. Since relocating to Canada, he continues to expand his visual language, merging African artistic influences with the narratives of his new environment. His work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in Africa, North America, Europe and Asia.

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