Tola wewe biography examples

Tola Wewe

Nigerian artist

Tola Wewe (born ) is a Nigerian artist.[1]

Early life and education

Wewe was born in Okitipupa, Ondo State in In , Wewe graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the department of Fine Art from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University). He got a Masters of Arts degree in African Visual Arts from the University of Ibadan in [2]

Career and art style

Wewe taught fine art at the Teachers College Igboegunrin in Ondo, lectured at Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo, was a senior artist at the Daily Times of Nigeria, and the general manager of the Signature Art Gallery in Lagos before becoming a full-time practicing artist in [3]

Wewe's works draw inspiration from his master's research on the Ijaw water spirit mask and the traditional Yoruba society, folklore and mythology. He is a part of Ona movement, a group of artists, scholars and critics committed to the exploration, interpretation and adaptation of traditional Yoruba symbols, motifs and concepts.[4][5]

He is frequent collaborator with Nike Davies-Okundaye.[6]Gbolahan Ayoola worked as Wewe's studio apprentice.[7] In Prof. Moyo Okediji published a page book, "Metamodern Vision of Tola Wewe" to commemorate Wewe's work.[8][9] Wewe's work is also part of the art collection owned by Nigeria's largest private art collector Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon.[10]

Iye Boabo

In , Tola Wewe's painting titled "Iye Boabo" was stolen along with other works from the apartment of fellow artist Moyo Okediji at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. The stolen artworks included pieces by Kunle Filani and Tunde Nasiru. The theft went unnoticed for years due to limited communication means at the time.[11]

In , "Iye Boabo" resurfaced when Arthouse, a prominent art auction house in Lagos, contacted Wewe to authenticate the painting for an upcoming auction. Upon recognizing his work, Wewe expressed a desire to know the identity of the collector who submitted the painting to potentially trace other stolen pieces. Despite initial communication, Arthouse ceased responding, leaving the situation unresolved and prompting Wewe to seek further investigation into the matter.[12][13]

Politics

In , Wewe was appointed commissioner of Tourism and Culture in Ondo State for a part of Olusegun Mimiko's administration.[14] His appointment was terminated in when he defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the opposition All Progressives Congress[15] and was replaced by Femi Adekanmbi.[16]

Exhibitions

  • "Footnotes". An exhibition of paintings and terracotta pieces exhibited at Nike Art Gallery in [17]
  • "Tola Wewe". Held at the Galerie Duvivier, Paris, France in
  • "Àpéwò: The Musical Linguistics of Tolá Wewe’s Painting". Held in Abuja in [18]
  • “Metamodern Vision: A Retrospective Exhibition of Tola Wewe’s Works". Held in Lagos in [19]
  • "Best of Ife". Featuring Kunle Filani, Victor Ekpuk and other alumni of Ife Art School. Held in Lagos in [20]

References

  1. ^Nation, The (). "'Artists' work should speak for them'". The Nation Newspaper. Retrieved
  2. ^"Tola Wewe - Biography". SMO Contemporary Art. Retrieved
  3. ^"Untitled - Tola Wewe". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved
  4. ^"Ona&#;: a revolutionary art movement in Nigeria Adetola F. Wewe". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved
  5. ^"Tola Wewe&#;: rhythms of Ona - art from my soul / with an essay by Kunle Finani and introduction by Ben Osagbae". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved
  6. ^"Nike Okundaye and Tola Wewe, 'The Elements' - arch'd — artxlagos". . Retrieved
  7. ^"Ayoola Gbolahan - Artist". . Retrieved
  8. ^Nation, The (). "'I hate being called politician'". The Nation Newspaper. Retrieved
  9. ^"Metamodern Vision, A Retrospective Exhibition of Wewe holds at Thought PyramidMetamodern Vision, A Retrospective Exhibition of Wewe holds at Thought Pyramid". The Guardian Nigeria News. Retrieved
  10. ^"How I will preserve my legacy as an art collector — Shyllon, renowned art collector". 17 January
  11. ^Nation, The (). "29 years after, Tola Wewe's missing painting resurfaces". The Nation Newspaper. Retrieved
  12. ^"Tola Wewe's stolen work, Iye Boabo, surfaces in Arthouse after 29 years". 29 April
  13. ^"Tola Wewe battles to regain his lost-but-found painting". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved
  14. ^"7, mountain climbers converge on Idanre Hills today". Vanguard Nigeria. 8 December
  15. ^"Why Agagu boys defected to APC in Ondo: The Obasanjo/Tinubu connections". Vanguard Nigeria. 16 January
  16. ^"Mimiko nominates four new commissioners". Vanugard Nigeria. 25 November
  17. ^"Tola Wewe returns with Footnotes". Vanguard Nigeria. 14 December
  18. ^Nation, The (). "Àpéwò: The musical linguistics of Tolá Wewe's painting". The Nation Newspaper. Retrieved
  19. ^"Tola Wewe, the folkloric and erotic female anatomist". -Vanguard Nigeria. 10 October
  20. ^"Filani, Wewe, others for 'Best of Ife' @ 30 exhibition". Vanguard Nigeria. 21 November