Oliver Okolo Nigeria, b. 1992

Oliver Okolo has emerged as one of the most exciting artists working out of Nigeria today and is a central figure in a new vanguard whose portrayal of Black people in confident and assertive gaze, challenges and dismantles negative racial constructs and knowledge systems.

Oliver Okolo uses charcoal and paint to capture the subjects of his striking portraits. The rich shading of Okolo’s portraiture recalls the work of fellow Nigerian artist Barry Yusufu, and his work also feels in dialogue with other prominent contemporary artists creating figurative work such as Amoako Boafo. Today, Okolo’s paintings and drawings often start from Western art-historical reference points, recasting works from Vermeer and Michelangelo with Black subjects. He refers to his practice as “classical contemporealism,” a term meant to reflect his blending of classical and contemporary styles.