Ojo Ayotunde

BIOGRAPHY

Ojo Ayotunde (b. 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) is an experimental painter whose work wrestles with memory, domesticity, and the quiet intensity of lived space. Trained in Graphic Design at Yaba College of Technology (2018), he transitioned from design work to full-time studio practice, pushing traditional boundaries of painting with oil, acrylic, charcoal and pastel. His technique blends oil and acrylic, applied often with palette knives rather than brushes, producing layered surfaces where form dissolves and re-emerges, and edges seep into abstraction.

Ayotunde’s work is suffused with introspection. He investigates the emotional weight of everyday scenes — interiors, solitary figures, gestures that are almost unspoken — transforming intimate domestic moments into sites of reflection. Muted color palettes, refined line work, raw canvas, textured planes all feature in his visual vocabulary.

His debut solo exhibition, These Four Walls (Southern Guild, Cape Town, Nov 2024 – Mar 2025) emerged from a residency there and marks a milestone in his trajectory. He has shown work in group exhibitions globally: Volery Gallery (Dubai), HARPER’S Books (New York), Dida Gallery (Abidjan), Ko Gallery & Rele Gallery (Lagos), and Maruani Mercier Gallery (Belgium) among others. His work has been included in international art fairs such as Expo Chicago and Investec Cape Town Art Fair.  

Online, Ayotunde maintains a presence via his website (ojoayotunde.com), Instagram, and gallery representation. His reputation is growing among collectors interested in artists who explore psychological space, memory, and interior life in contemporary painting.