Demola Ogunajo: Area Art

Demola Ogunajo is interested in the signs and symbols of his environment, transforming everyday experiences with a spectacular twist. Ogunajo depicts ordinary scenes with an otherworldly dimension, one of angels, astronauts and superheroes. His paintings are metaphors that examine the philosophical complexities of modern life, often with spiritual, religious or political undertones.

Among the busy traffic in Nigeria, it is impossible not to notice the colorful embellishments on many vehicles that dot the roadways. In this informal tradition of street culture, drivers curate their own visual message that projects their personal values and tastes. Ogunajo dissects these popular symbols and re-engages them in surreal and fantastical ways. In Area Art, Ogunajo forms a seemingly haphazard selection of symbols —from lions, tigers and birds to clowns, dragons and butterflies. Collectively, they form stories that become signifiers for universal struggles, ones that are biblical in nature. In his canvases, we encounter the mythical battle of good versus evil, alluding to themes of innocence, transcendence and redemption. Ogunajo counters these heavy philosophical dilemmas with humor, often adapting a playful spin that suggests that love might perhaps always win.

Demola’s work speaks to identity, the human condition, the exploration of existence and the universality of divinity. He explores themes highlighting deep and profound concepts including heightened consciousness, ascension, divinity and enlightenment - expressed through symbols, archetypes, paradoxes, figures and text. These themes are a direct reflection of Demola’s own psyche and spiritual experiences.

The term “Area Art” is defined by the playful adoption of mass signage from contemporary advertising, comic books and consumerist obsession, partly as a rejection of traditional art values, such as historical painting, in favour of the mundanity of popular culture. The word “area” in Nigerian street parlance is used to describe working class communities and the term “Area Art” refers to the mass artistic production that emerges in public spaces. Demola Ogunajo deploys in his paintings the visual vocabulary (maxims, caricature, colours and religious iconography) of such populist images and objects into new forms of knowledge production.