Artists

Jacob Afolabi was a leading Nigerian artist who made a significant contribution to the country’s post-independence modernist Oshogbo Art Movement. Born in Ikirun, Nigeria, Afolabi began his career as a bartender at Popular Bar in Oshogbo, owned by Nigerian dramatist Duro Ladipo. The bar became a creative hub where the Mbari Mbayo Club was established. After acting in Ladipo’s theatre troupe, Afolabi participated in the first Mbari Mbayo art workshop in 1962, facilitated by the Guyanese artist Denis Williams.

The experimental nature of the Oshogbo workshops allowed Afolabi to hone his bold style and expressive use of colour. Often, his works depict amorphous figures in lively compositions that speak to daily life and Yoruba spirituality. He maintained his visual art practice alongside his acting career, and an interplay of these two art forms is evident through the storytelling that emerges in his paintings and prints.

Jacob Afolabi’s involvement expanded, and he was appointed as supervisor of the gallery associated with the Mbari Mbayo Club. Later, Afolabi worked at the Institute of African Studies Museum at Obafemi Awolowo University in Oshogbo. The artist’s work has been featured in exhibitions and art festivals across Africa, Europe and the United States, including the Camden Arts Centre and Tate Modern in London, the Museum of African Art in Washington DC and Kó Art Space in Lagos.