Anadu Art Gallery

See Her, Value Her: Inside Olamilekan’s Visual Mantra

September 23, 2026

By: Chieloka Anadu

Okunade Olamilekan is a Nigerian visual artist practicing in Ibadan, Oyo State, with more than a decade of active practice behind him. His work combines acrylic paint with geometric and pixelated cubes to build stories centered on women, their experiences, and the lives that revolve around them.

That focus traces back to what he witnessed growing up. “Growing up, I witnessed women constantly lifting themselves, their families, and the people around them while breaking boundaries, often with little or no recognition,” he says. That observation grew into a deeper conviction – that women deserve to be seen, heard, celebrated, and appreciated – and it now sits at the center of everything he makes. Through his work, he wants every woman he portrays to feel seen.

His visual language has been shaped by a handful of artists working in very different registers. He points to Mavua Lessor, whose “use of colour and structured compositions has inspired my approach to visual storytelling,” alongside Ayo Akinyemi and Pablo Picasso, both of whom he admires for their individual approaches to form, colour, and expression. Rather than pulling from a single tradition, he draws pieces from each, folding them into something distinctly his own.

Materially, Olamilekan works primarily in acrylic paint, drawn to “their brightness, vibrancy, and ability to create colours that immediately draw the viewer in.” He pairs that vividness with geometric and pixelated forms, building a visual language he describes as both contemporary and deeply personal – bold enough to catch the eye, structured enough to carry the weight of the stories he’s telling.

When he feels creatively blocked, Olamilekan treats rest as part of the discipline rather than a break from it. “Creativity requires rest and balance,” he says. He’ll travel to new places, exercise, and give himself time to reconnect with his mind and soul, having learned that “stepping away from the studio is also part of creating.”

His guiding mantra is direct: “be kind to women, see them, value them, and adore them.” He wants his work to push people past the roles women are often reduced to, toward a fuller recognition of the strength, sacrifice, beauty, and story that exists within each woman he paints.

For Olamilekan, participating in the Anadu Art Fair is another chance to put those stories in front of a wider audience. It gives him a platform to communicate the purpose behind his practice and reach people who may never have encountered his work before – a space, as he puts it, “to connect, create conversations, and remind people that every woman deserves to be seen.”

Follow Olamilekan’s story on Instagram: okunadeolamilekan