Most colourist artists conquer the world with their special way of combining different vibrant colours to appeal for attention. Abibat Bonuola Adedayo’s falls within this category. She applies bright and multiple colours most times to achieve a deep sense of surrealism. Not just that she loves experimenting on landscapes, her main forte and medium fall within the realm of absolute realism. As a very observant painter, she dwells within the context of her immediate environment ,producing art pieces that reflect ,appeal and connect with her people, with her origin and culture.
She has been participating in several joint shows overtime since 2022. However, in one of her most prominent and pronounced works titled ‘Sunset Part Two’, done in 2024, Adedayo,a graduate of Agricultural Science from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria,has proved that an artist is indeed the conscience of the nation. In this work, adorned with vibrant colours,she captures the deep but serene beauty of a sunset over a winding country road. The beauty lies in the fact that the road is a connection between nature and modernism. It is like a juxtaposition. It is a landscape that beckons that draws man back into the reality of time and space. Within the horizon is a yawning manifestation of hope that brings tranquility. This is vintage Adedayo.
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In the work titled Dreamland, produced in 2024,she uses acrylic painting on canvas for total effect. The reflection shows an enchanting scenery that is momentous, a situation that truly captures a whimsical countryside. Most country sides often reflect the idea of rainbow in the sky, imbued with nature with vibrant sky-blue colours. These colours bloom like healing balms. Therefore as an artist, Adedayo has mastered this technique of using colours generously for total reinvigoration of nature, beauty, etc al..
So,whether her work is an animation or realism,she is at home with her type of experiment. This is why everywhere she showcases her art pieces, they naturally invite and capture attention. As a matter of fact, hers curry for acclaim and make viewers travel her world with her with deep sense of appreciation.
In Sunset Safari Part One done in 2022 which is also one of her earlier works, she brought rainbow of silhouettes of palm trees to adorn the beauty in totality. This technique is watercolours on paper. Usually, watercolours have a way of illuminating art pieces in a way that makes painting adorable. This is also vintage Adedayo, a serious artist that operates within the realm of nature and beauty.
The safari atmosphere is inviting, healing and evocative. This work says a lot about the evoking warmth of palm trees that often radiate the beauty of African tropical environment. Through this work, she has elevated the norms of trees.
But she is not done yet. Take for instance Path To Golden Dreams; this is a work she did in 2024. It is not just acrylic on canvas. She equally used bright and unique colours of flowers to define dreams. Flowers give love, they symbolise hope ,attention and offer therapy to persons in low spirits . This art piece depicts tranquility as the vibrant colours help to give a sense of endless possibilities and reinforcing the endearing beauty of flowers.
And so in origin, another acrylic on paper, she positions the map of Nigeria, her home country to show nature sitting comfortably on a landscape of sunset. It is full of sunset, a rare gift that makes Nigeria an ideal environment for relaxation. Yet Adedayo is saying here that every human creature has an origin. Never you therefore forget or disown your origin for that is where your roots sprout from. Origins resonate. They bloom. The sun is bright, the horizon shows silhouettes of mountains, valleys, timeless landscapes ,resilient nature, rivers, seas, as all beckon on the people to remember and adore and appreciate and reconnect .
It is crystal clear that sunset defines most of her offerings . Like she often states, her immediate surroundings provoke the ideas she explores. Whether in sunset reverie or in essence of summer or through the floral lens or even in starry dreams of Africa, the artist is keen in details. Her avowed love for expressive and impressionistic colours make her often larger than life as an artist.