Kemi Onabule
Kemi Onabule’s artistic practice – in her words – ‘aims to send the viewer to a time where we, as humans, are close to nature and engaged in a deeper understanding of our purpose as guardians of the world we live in.’ Her vibrant imagery is characterised by lush foliage which is often inhabited by figures inspired by Ancient Greek and Minoan sculpture. These figures are intentionally devoid of any signifiers of cultural identity; rather, they represent an exploration of wider ideas around identity and belonging.
Kemi often works in series when making works on paper. Whilst her coloured pencil drawings glow with vivid hues, her monoprints often use a muted or monochrome palette. Their raw, emotive quality is also informed by Kemi’s recent experience of becoming a mother. ‘My work on paper can be a more intimate and tactile way of engaging with my subject matter. Paper offers me a way of experimenting with different media, creating a variety of new styles and ideas away from my painting practice.’
Kemi studied painting at Wimbledon College of Art receiving her BA in 2016. Since then she has exhibited her work widely in London and internationally including a solo exhibition at Guts Gallery, who she is represented by, in 2020. She was shortlisted for the Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year Award (2013), the Ingram Young Artist Prize (2017) and the Hix Award (2017). Oliver Projects has exhibited Kemi’s works on paper in group exhibitions including ‘Into the Light of the Present Day’ (2021) and ‘Escape Routes’ (2022), we also showed her work at the Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair in 2021 and 2022. Sim Smith Gallery presented a solo exhibition of Kemi’s work in Camberwell, south east London, in autumn 2022. Kemi currently lives in Bedford.
Portrait of Kemi by Joseph Ironmonger.