Daniel Gbenga Orimoloye was born in Lagos, Nigeria in 1966, where he studied and taught painting before immigrating to London with his wife in 1997. Working primarily as a painter, his figurative works of landscapes and human figures explore the transient nature of life and the world.
Artist Daniel Gbenga Orimoloye was born in Lagos, Nigeria, on 26 November 1966. He studied for a National Diploma in General Art at the Polytechnic Ibadan, Nigeria, graduating in 1988. He subsequently studied for a Higher National Diploma in Painting from the School of Art, Design and Printing from Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Nigeria in 1991, working as a lecturer in drawing and painting at the same institution.
In 1997 he immigrated to England with his wife, undertaking an MSc in Interactive Multimedia from the University of Westminster from 2001–3. He held his first solo exhibition at the Nike Gallery in Lagos, Nigeria in 2011. He continues to exhibit in Nigeria, including solo shows at Terra Kulture, Lagos in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016. His first solo exhibition in England was held at the Saffron Walden Gallery, Essex, in 2014, and featured work inspired by the English countryside, as well as retrospective pieces influenced by Orimoloye’s Nigerian heritage and his time spent in Cambridge and Saffron Walden, where he lived. In 2014 his work was included in the exhibition Nigeria@100: Transforming a British Experiment? at the WAC Gallery in London, organised by the Nigerian Art Society (NASUK) to commemorate the centenary of Nigeria’s independence. In 2015 he was featured again in the NASUK exhibition Ariya – A Celebration of Colour at the WAC Gallery. Orimoloye has also exhibited in Tunisia and the USA. He has been the recipient of several art prizes. In 1990 he was awarded first prize from the Lagos State Council for Art and Culture open Painting competition as well as the Academy Press Award for excellence in painting. During his studies at Yaba College of Technology he was awarded the Lintas Award for best final year art student and first prize from the Tower Aluminium Art Exhibition Awards in 1991. Alongside his art practice he has taught painting and drawing at the Art Club, London, 1998–99.
Orimoloye is a painter who works mainly in oil, gouache, watercolour, acrylic and terracotta. His art is representational and figurative, often marked by thick and distinctive paint strokes, which places importance on his own creative process. Described by Nigerian painter Kolade Oshinowo as a ‘master of impasto painting’ (Oshinowo 2011), he predominantly applies the rich and heavily layered medium with the palette knife instead of the brush. His subjects include still lifes and atmospheric, traditional Nigerian scenes characterised by the use of vibrant colours and texture, as well as traditional English towns in a contemporary setting, incorporating 21st century urban features. Roads and rivers are a recurring theme in his work. In his portrait and figure he uses light to model forms often with a very strong background colour such as red or green. Colin M. Blakely noted that ‘It is impossible to view his work and not feel uplifted, with a fresh hope in potential of the human spirit […]. Orimoloye’s work is at once lyrical and poetic: like a ballet dancer he gracefully celebrates the joy in those he portrays, allowing them to speak through his canvas’ (artist’s website). The lack of detail in his work causes the viewer to retreat from the work in order to contemplate the entire image, making the viewer part of the storytelling and interpretation. As Orimoloye states on his website: ‘I am a seer and can’t help but present and interpret what I have seen, felt or thought via my craft. As a Nigerian-born British citizen (born and raised in Nigeria and living in the UK), I am blessed to have two very rich distinct cultures to further make the gigantic picture even more interesting, with endless possibilities to tell stories with images both figuratively and metaphorically’.
Orimoloye is represented by the Saffron Walden Gallery. His work currently held in the UK public domain in the collection of Cheltenham Ladies College, Gloucestershire.