Artist Taiwo Isimi
We would like to congratulate Taiwo Isimi on earning his place as a Finalist in the 4th Edition!
WHO ARE YOU?
I have always wanted to create art, but as I’ve grown as a person and an artist, my focus is on creating beautiful works of art that inspire, motivate, and speak to the viewer. My name is Taiwo Isimi, a forerunner of hyperrealism in Nigeria and the Curator of the National Gallery of Art in Nigeria. My art is centred on lived experiences and imbued with life and colour that captivates and appeals to both the trained eye of experienced art connoisseurs and the everyday viewer. I have a great passion for what I do, and to this end, I’ve participated in a number of exhibitions including the first hyperrealism group exhibition in Nigeria themed “insanity”; apart from a few other group exhibitions. I’ve also executed a number of personal and commissioned works and won many art competitions. I believe my art inspires others, and this has led me to coach and mentor bourgeoning new artists and focus on training interested students in the field of hyperrealism by hosting periodic workshops in Lagos and Abuja states of Nigeria. I have achieved graduate and postgraduate academic qualifications in Creative Arts from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. Having both theoretical and practical knowledge to draw on has been instrumental in enabling me to host my first online international workshop to the wider art community.
“Facing Fears” (Winning Work)
Graphite, Charcoal and Pastel on Paper
By Taiwo Isimi
What inspired you into drawing?
As a child, I found comfort and enjoyment in scribbling and drawing anything that caught my eye. I did not realise this was a talent, but my family did. I realised that I had an interest in portraiture and combining the elements of shape, texture, and space. I enjoyed the challenge of putting my vision down on paper and seeing the enjoyment others derived from viewing it. It did not matter what I drew, I was just drawn to draw. But as I developed an artistic style, then my art became storytelling, and the ability to transmit information through a visual medium. For example, when I was going through a difficult period, I was able to create a 3 piece series work of art (The Baptism of Caesar, Caesar’s Euphoria and Rejuvenation) which showcased the personal struggle and eventual calmness and breakthrough that came once I overcame that challenge. I was inspired to follow my passion for art full time when I changed the direction of my life by changing from studying Mechanical Engineering in my final year at University to starting over and accomplishing a Creative Arts degree. This changed my life greatly, as I had to reconfigure my self-belief in who I was and what I wanted to achieve in life. Although initially a difficult process, choosing to become an artist has allowed me to become happier and more content in my own skills and abilities and hopefully has become an inspiration to others as well.
“Engrossed”
Oil on Canvas
By Taiwo Isimi
Can you explain why you choose drawing as a medium for your work and voice as opposed to others?
I find drawing as the most effective way to communicate what I see and feel – for me, it feels like the best way to capture the most difficult or extreme content. At the same time, it seems to be the most accessible form of art for many people. When I speak with my audience, particularly during exhibitions and my workshops, and ask them about ‘art’, they are particularly keen to discuss works of art in this medium. In particular, I find that this is the type of art that many people relate to purely as viewers of art. I chose this medium as I feel able to communicate with both experienced art lovers and those who do not know much about art to start with. It is also a versatile medium to work in, as I am able to capture and expand what I see onto the canvas; it means I am able to draw the viewer in and make them a part of the experience. For me, drawing is about imagination and using imagination to create works that feed on others’ imagination. This makes it a challenge, because of the individualistic nature of imagination. And like photography, it captures a moment in time. For me, this is its greatest quality and the reason why it works for me above other mediums. I have expanded on this through hyperrealism, which stretches the imagination but is still framed within a specific moment of capture. My art has been compared to photographs, and I couldn’t be more pleased at the reaction I get from viewers and my audience in seeing my art for the first time.
“What my eyes have seen”
Graphite, Charcoal and Pastel on Paper
By Taiwo Isimi
Have you experimented with other mediums?
I have experimented with other mediums including pencils, oil colours, acrylics, watercolour, gouache, clay for sculpture and ceramics, dye, wax and other textile materials, and also worked with a computer to create digital images with a passion for 3D animation. Whilst at University, I trained in using these mediums in our creative process and then mastering the medium I felt more capable in using. In the end I felt I could handle all these mediums properly but I certainly couldn't do all of them at the same time so I had to pick one or two to really focus on and they were drawing and painting with a bit of computer graphic art in the area of photo manipulation on the side.
“Rejuvenation”
Graphite, Charcoal and Pastel on Paper
By Taiwo Isimi
Can you discuss the decision to use realism in your work?
The decision to use realism has come from a need to connect with my audience on another level, based on a need for them to identify with art that was dimensional, that made them feel they could reach out to touch it. For me, it meant focusing beyond the challenge of purely drawing what can be visualised to making art that is conceptual, multi-dimensional, and in-depth; where the observer can consider the detail in the art and appreciate each brush stroke in creating the art. This can be very rewarding to the artist; to have the concept and the outcome be appreciated by the viewer. Realism gives me the opportunity to communicate directly to the observers of my work my own thoughts and feelings of personal experiences and the effect of the surroundings on my life without having to read the title or an elaborate narrative before understanding my message. As true to life as my works may look there's still a lot of room for compositional creativity and a touch of surrealism for dreamers like me who have had certain ideas conjured through my dreams. It's fascinating having a target or goal to aim for and end up coming very close to achieving it or even hitting it right on the spot in realism. There's always a mark to give in realism to judge your performance and this can be very encouraging and helpful for further improvements. Meeting the personal challenge that I set for myself and going through that creative process is very rewarding and supports my focus on inputting realism in my works.
“The Baptism of Caesar”
Graphite, Charcoal and Pastel on Paper
By Taiwo Isimi
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind "Facing Fears”?
Facing fears is one of my very best works. I love it because it is not just an artwork but a symbol. Facing fears was inspired by both a physical experience and a dream. The physical experience was through an incident of night terror experienced by my niece and the composition idea came to me through a dream. Facing fears is a symbol of hope and courage because it visually shows that sometimes you have to face and challenge adversity head on no matter what it is if you are looking to achieve victory.
“Caesar’s Euphoria”
Graphite, Charcoal and Pastel on Paper
By Taiwo Isimi
Can you walk us through the physical creation of "Facing Fears"?
Unfortunately, I don't have work in progress stages for this particular work as my laptop was stolen many years ago so I lost all progress shots of it. I know better now to save in the clouds. The physical process of creation wasn't so difficult. I had my niece to model for me since she was able to overcome her experience with night terrors and I splashed water at her using a plastic bottle but making sure there was a thin slate of glass between her and incoming water to stop the water thereby creating the illusion of a force field created by her scream. I took a shot to capture that exact moment, and then began the process of enhance the highlights dramatically to suit what I was looking for in creating the final reference for the drawing.
“Message from the sea”
Oil on canvas
By Taiwo Isimi
What projects are you working on currently? Can you discuss them?
I'm working on a series of works that has a lot to do with water or any liquid really that is composed of the element. I believe it’s a very creative project. It's under a theme I call "Interactions”. In this project I like to picture water as an enemy and foe depending on its interactions with my chosen subject or subjects and vice versa. With this idea I've been able to develop a creative way of creating my subjects with water as you can see in the likes of "Facing fears", "Engrossed" and even "Message from the sea" amongst others. It’s going to take a while to come up with a sufficient amount of works under this theme for my first solo exhibition but I intend to use two or possibly 3 mediums to achieve it which includes using graphite and charcoal, oil paints and ink or pen.
“A touch for the living”
Graphite, Charcoal Colour Pencil and Pastel on Paper
By Taiwo Isimi
Lastly, I would like to ask what advice you would give to your fellow artists/photographers?
My advice to other artists, particularly those who are just setting out in their careers is that art – like all the best things in life – takes passion, practice, and persistence to win through and succeed.
To view more of Taiwo Isimi’s work