Olumide Fatoba Urges Nigerians to embrace creativity, Opens Gallery In Ibadan

Mr. Olumide Fatoba is the founder of Olu Fatoba Gallery and Art Studio, Oremeji, Ibadan. In this interview with Eniola Philip, Fatoba says Art is everywhere, from shoes to Cars,urging Nigeria to embrace creativity

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When did you inaugurate this gallery?

The gallery was inaugurated on September 6, 2025. It is set up to meet a lot of needs. One, is to help young and artists. Two, the gallery is here to showcase artworks of artists, not just myself, but other artists. And thirdly, the art gallery is here to educate. We’re here to educate people, especially younger ones about artworks, artifacts, and the likes.

So, we have also incorporated workshops into our programmes here, whereby you can come in as a young, budding artist to learn one or two things painting, moulding, making batik, tie-dye, and a host of other works – aside from showcasing artworks.

How lucrative is artwork?

Yes, artwork is very lucrative. It is lucrative because artwork is not limited to only painting or drawing. We have various forms of art – painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, textile, and furniture. So, artwork is not something that can be boxed to the corner.

It’s very lucrative. And then, if you’re a versatile artist, there’s no way you’re not going to make it in the world of art.

Are you considering partnering with other galleries and organisations?

Yes, we’re not only considering. As a matter of fact, we are in partnership with Tunde Odulade Gallery. So, we’re in partnership with them. Then, we are looking for more partners.

So, where do you see this gallery in the next five years?

In the next five years, I see Olufatoba Gallery as one of the major galleries in Nigeria.

I see us helping people, uplifting artists, and doing great. It’s just a humble beginning. In the next four, five years, we’ll have bigger than this and better than this by the grace of God.

What are the major challenges confronting art in Nigeria?

There are a lot of challenges confronting arts and artists in Nigeria. But let me just limit it to two. Number one is the lack of access to secure grants. As an artist one needs grants , because our work is not totally different from research work. We need money to go into a lot of research, and to come out with quality works. All we do is use our money to do all of these. Another challenges is discouragement from the society itself. Parents dissuade them from studying art. They prefer their children to study medicine, law, engineering and the likes to Art. But, the truth is that art is life. Life is art.

What we can do to make art a worthy venture?

It is for us to all embrace art. As a matter of fact, we cannot, as humans, do anything outside of art. Let me break it down, look at it from the cars that we drive, they are all designed by an artist. From the clothes we wear, whether it’s woven,or handmade, it is the work of artists like cobblers, shoemakers and the rest. They are also artists. Even furniture makers, they are all artists, because the works have to come through various stages. In designing , one has to draw first before he or she puts it into reality. So, we can’t do without art. All we just need to do is to support artists wherever you see them by buying their works

Is there anything that motivated you to open your own gallery?

It’s not far-fetched from what we discussed earlier when we were talking about the aims. The first thing is to promote art. Secondly, to help other people. There are a lot of artists who make works in the corners of their homes. They don’t know how to sell them, they don’t know who to sell them to, because they don’t have a showroom, and a gallery to display their works. That’s why we’re here – to help people in the society. Let me add this : we just opened and then these past six days, we’ve given 10 scholarships to students of a particular school. They can come here, learn for free. That’s my own contribution to the world of art and to society in general.

What is your message to young and aspiring artists?

For aspiring and young artists, I want to urge them to keep the hope alive. Don’t give up. There will be a lot of challenges, discouragement from friends, family, especially financial discouragement.

If once you can overcome that, success is yours. The sky will be the starting point. Don’t be discouraged. Keep pushing your heart. Keep pushing your talents, and then before you know it, fortune will smile on you.