Abe Odedina’s paintings articulate a contemporary dialogue between epochs, cultures and individuals. Odedina’s stylistic vernacular is figurative, whilst his bringing together of classical themes from ancient Greek to Yoruban mythologies speaks of magic realism. His bold and hybrid visual language conjures energy from his adopted home London and from the streets of cities like Lagos, Salvador de Bahia and Port-au-Prince. The walls of temples, beer parlours and love motels with their advertisements for barbers, vulcanisers and healers invite the viewer to look deeply at the everyday and the miraculous.

Recent exhibitions include the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London (2017) and the solo show, Eye to Eye, Copeland Gallery, London (2016). In 2013 he was shortlisted for the National Portrait Gallery BP Awards. In November 2017, Odedina’s work will be animated for Carnegie Hall, New York, as part of Dramatic Need’s The Children’s Monologues directed by Danny Boyle.