Tola Wewe was born in 1959 in Okitipupa and holds a Bachelor�s degree in fine art from the University of Ile-Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University (1983). He also received a Master�s degree in African visual arts from the University of Ibadan (1986). Wewe enjoyed a brief stint as a cartoonist before establishing an active studio practice in 1991. Wewe is... View more

Tola Wewe was born in 1959 in Okitipupa and holds a Bachelor�s degree in fine art from the University of Ile-Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University (1983). He also received a Master�s degree in African visual arts from the University of Ibadan (1986). Wewe enjoyed a brief stint as a cartoonist before establishing an active studio practice in 1991. Wewe is also a former commissioner of Tourism and Culture in Ondo State. Since then, he has established himself as one of Nigeria�s leading contemporary artists. Three major influences characterised Tola Wewe�s works early in his career; the first, is his formal training at Ife, the second is his Master�s research on the Ijaw water spirit mask and the third is traditional Yoruba society. His style draws deeply from traditional Yoruba culture and centres on Ona symbols, folklore and mythology, which he fuses with elements of European art history. Wewe describes himself more as a witness than an author, �communicating with the spirits of the ancestors, and drawing out the invisible spirits the anjonnu, emere and the ebora who make the artworks�I am the vehicle, and they are the drivers. We go on these strange journeys to the most remote ends of imaginative experience.� Tola Wewe�s work has been exhibited extensively in Nigeria and abroad, and can be found in several important private and public collections. View less