Meet Olombeni, a Lagos-based visual artist, graphic designer, and creative director pioneering an abstract movement he calls Radism. Trained in Fine and Applied Arts at Obafemi Awolowo University's renowned Ife Art School, Olumbeni translates the relentless energy of Lagos and visions of Afrofuturism into vivid, rhythmic compositions driven by bold lines and electric color. Ahead of his solo exhibition, Works of Rad, he opens up about navigating art world gatekeeping, balancing freelance design with studio practice, and using a single continuous line to give voice to the noise, hustle, and soul of modern Africa.
Tell me about yourself and what you do.
My name is Olumbeni and I'm a visual artist based in Lagos, Nigeria. I make abstract paintings with lines and colours and I use that to tell my story, my experience. I just try to show how I view the world. My exhibition is coming up this weekend on the 17th and the title is ‘Works of Rad’.
How did you become an artist? Did you start in school or you are an inspired self-taught artist?
I've been an artist since I was little. I always drew my thoughts, on paper, on walls, everything was my canvas. When I was in secondary school, I went with art. In the university I studied art in Ife Art School at Obafemi Awolowo University, where I did Fine and Applied Arts.
What inspired me was trying to put my imaginations out there, to get people to know what I think of and what goes on in my head, and to tell my story in my own way and style.
Do you practice art full-time or you have a regular nine-to-five?
I do art most of the time but I am also a graphics designer and a freelance creative director.
Do you think studying arts influenced your choices as an artist?
Yes and no. Even before I studied art in the university, I've always been making art, like comic, illustrations and all of that. Art school influenced my style because I had great art teachers. I majored in graphics and minored in painting, so that has influenced my art and the style I use.
In terms of financial stability, how is it being a fulltime artist? Has it been easy or difficult?
Practicing art is more of looking for the right people, and the right collectors that connect with what you do. Having people that support is also important, especially if you're not a big name in the art industry, because I feel there is a lot of gatekeeping in the art industry. Personally, I pair my art with freelance work. I believe practicing art must be done alongside other things until you become a big name and you have a proper structure you can fall back on.
Would you say you are financially stable or you need to gain more exposure for your art?
I would say yes for the most part, because I have some collectors that appreciate what I'm doing, but I'm still not there yet. I still need more traction and exposure to put myself out there.
Which traditional techniques or mediums from your studies still directly inform your digital design toolkit and process?
I still employ the use of Colour breaking theory.
How would you describe the underlying visual philosophy or signature elements that tie your personal artwork and your graphic design projects together?
Strong lines and bold colours.
How do you balance the structured rules of graphic design with the raw, intuitive impulses of your craft?
I just let myself create freely without having limits.
When you hit a creative wall on a design project, how exactly do you break through it?
I indulge in other things to give me inspiration. Things like sightseeing, watching creative movies, reading books and also playing intuitive games like chess.
You mentioned that you have a new collection you're exhibiting soon. Can you tell me about it?
Absolutely. ‘Works of Rad’ is a collection of works I created using my own style. I chose to call it Radism. It is an abstract style where I use lines and bright colors to tell my personal stories. It is about my lived experiences and how I imagine Africa in the future. It mixes everyday reality with Afrofuturism.
What specific technical skills or methods have you developed the most while preparing this new body of work?
The main thing for me has been learning how to bring the ideas in my head onto the canvas in a way people can understand. The experiment is converting ideas into lines. From sketching to painting, how one line can form faces and people. I am trying to make that line speak clearly.
What is the central concept or emotional narrative driving this upcoming exhibition?
‘Works of Rad’ is about my transition. It shows my lived experiences and how I imagine Africa will be in the future. It is many faces in one face, many thoughts in one head. Like Lagos. It is noisy and crowded but there is still one voice inside it.
How has your experience in graphic design influenced the way you curate and stage the physical layout of the gallery space?
Because of my background in graphic design, I think a lot about how people will see the work. I will not hang everything randomly. I want to arrange them in collections, from when I started Radism till now, so people can see how much the style has grown.
Is there a signature piece in this upcoming show that pushed your technical boundaries, or marked a turning point in your artistic evolution?
Yes. Hypnosis. That work was the turning point for me. That was when I told myself to create more freely and without holding back. After that piece, my style opened up.
How do you want visitors to feel when walking through this exhibition?
I want people to be curious. I want them to stand in front of each work and really feel the message behind it. I want them to see themselves inside it. The struggle, the celebration, the hustle. I want the work to start a conversation in their own minds.