Olalekan Kushmino
Kiosk spoke to award winning Nigerian artist Olalekan Kushmino. Now based in Belfast, Kush practices a style of art known as Ila, meaning lines or patterns, an art form that can be traced to ancient language in the Eastern part of Nigeria along with tribal marks from the West, combined with other historical symbols from different tribes of Africa. Using these lines and patterns strategically throughout his work to tell the stories behind his paintings.
Working across mediums such from acrylic to oil on canvas, abstracts and digital art, Kush is a dynamic artist which can be seen in the photos below. And can also be found in his new wearable collection of shoes, hoodies, t-shirts and phone accessories.
When and how did you first know you wanted to be an artist and how did you begin on your journey?
My first conviction came when I was at the University studying engineering. Although I had started drawing at the age of 4 or 5 then began doing some craft works at 16. Art was just something I felt was a part of me but I didn’t do it passionately until my 2nd year at the university.
Please tell us about your practices and which art forms and materials you prefer to work with.
I started with watercolour painting, majorly doing landscape paintings then gradually progressed to oil on paper then canvas. By 2014 I began working on wall surfaces doing murals which grew into something big. I had other commissioned works on oil paint but I believe my best mediums at some point were charcoal drawing and oil painting.
Your Ila technique is so unique, encapsulating history and the modern day, can you please explain how you came up with the idea and where you are hoping to take it?
The idea behind my pattern stems from a proto-typing or symbols developed in the eastern part of Nigeria with the inclusion of ethnic tribal marks from the southern part. The intriguing details gave me an idea to combine lines and construct alphabets in another form. The purpose is to create synergy and harmony that is understandable by all cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
You have been part of joint exhibitions all over Europe and in New York. Can you tell us more about how you got involved and what those experiences gave you?
When I got to the UK, my first instinct was to get exposed and make my art known. I tried visiting different galleries and websites that could showcase my works so I started submitting them and entering for different exhibitions. Fortunately, couple of galleries were interested in my style of art which was a pivotal part of entering other major exhibitions and magazine publications.
What are the biggest influences for your art?
One major influence of my art is love and the abuse of it. Even though lines where a major way of expressing them through patterns, it was also easy to tell my stories via visuals as well.
So apart from lines being the translator or should I say the interpretation of most of my works, I am mostly influenced by the expressions of love and kindness.
However, I am also deeply concerned about how love is being abused so some of my art pieces expresses that in terms of abusive relationships, ocean pollutions, family protections and human connections.
I try to tell those stories in my work and use lines to bring it to life by inscribing them on the pieces.
When people come to your exhibitions or see your art, what emotions and feelings do you hope to evoke in the audience?
The intention of my art pieces is to show people how we are not different from each other_what separates us is just languages. That is the main reason why I make symbols tell my stories even though visuals can be expressive, lines are what connects us all.
What is next for Kush-Ila? Please tell us about your upcoming projects and events.
My next major project is to have a mural on a wall to express love and unity. Working on it at the moment but whilst trying to get that done, I also intend to build a community of artist from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. We are also looking into opening a store for our products.
We like to ask this question to encourage other people to find their artistic side, what advice do you have for someone who is tempted to start work on an art piece but just haven't quite made it to the canvas.
Lines is the first step. Most times inspiration would not come but if you can start by drawing a line, you can pick up pace easily. Looking for a buyer shouldn’t be the first instinct of art but creating it. Get inspiration from other artists because every great artist is a shadow of an original.
Wearable art coming soon from studio Kush-Ila
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