O. Yemi Tubi - An Artist and Advocate for the worldâs Peace.
Olabamiji Yemi Tubi, commonly known as O Yemi Tubi aka MOYAT, a Nigerian born, American trained Artist, currently residing in United Kingdom as an artist with creative and unique personal style. I do paintings in acrylic, watercolour, but my favoured medium is oil paints. I would have like to do most of my paintings in acrylic because it dry fast and that would have makes me do more works in shorter time that will take me to work in oil paints. The downside of using acrylic is the fact that it dry quick and very difficult to do details works as I like to do. Most of my recent paintings were influenced by political and social upheaval of our world today and the works of the Renaissance artists. I do not like artworks just for decoration but to evoke feelings.
âA work of art which did not begin in emotion is not artâ so said Paul Cezanne I was deeply moved by the horrors and the tragic death of a Tunisian man, Mohammed Bouazizi that set himself on fire his response to daily humiliation by the Tunisian authorities, which encapsulates the true spirit of the Arab revolts. This is what influenced my first political painting âARAB REVOLUTIONâ in 2012. âTHE EAGLE HAS LANDEDâ was done to speak about American led war on terror. My painting âKABIYESI OBA OBAMA Unquestionable King Obamaâ was a political satire based on the love and hate relationship between President Obama and Donald Trump. âTHE BLEEDING ROSEâ was done as my solidarity with Christians beheaded by ISIS in Iraq and Syria. I used my paintings âAfricanâtâ, âHunger in the Land of Plentyâ and âOIL AFRICANSâ WEALTH and WOEâ to speak about the exploitation of African nations. The Painting depicts paradoxical poverty and the riches of Africa. my work, âThe Fishers of Menâ is about the horror of refugees drowning in Mediterranean Sea. I also used my painting â âUKRAINE THE UNFORTUNATE BRIDEâ to speak about America and Russia influenced the war in Ukraine. The callous treatment and imprisonment of the migrantâs children influenced O. Yemi to do âTrumpâs Cage.â
I desire my portrait paintings to be uniquely creative. I like to use the portrait paintings to tell the stories about my subjects as did with the portrait of Professor Wole Soyinka, 1986 Nobel Prize Winner in Literature in painting âSOYINKA A Literary Iconâ, âPORTRAIT OF AN ARTISTâ and the âTHE VIOLINISTâ
Life is roses and thorns sometimes it emanates sweet aroma of pleasantness and sometimes it pricks and causes pains. My works progress from political paintings to paintings of the facts of life of people. I first used Roses and Thorns in my political painting -âThe Bleeding Rosesâ, since then I adopted Roses and Thorns as my own unique style in some of my paintings like âDomestic Abuseâ, GELE African Head Wrap Vintage and Modern, Sensuality1 Pain and Pleasure and others.