AMIAF 2023 Participating Artist
Azeez Salami's works have been exhibited at Now You See Me, Now You Don't at the Eclectica Contemporary Art Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa, 2022; Ecobank Pan African Centre (Art Exhibit) at the Tim and Carol Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria, 2021; etc. His spurring artworks are in private collections in Lagos, Nigeria; The Dougan Collection in the United Kingdom; and Somewhere Collection in Austria.
Azeez's investigative style of art and role as a social reformer has earned him a grant with the Sahara Center, Cultural and Tourism Sector Relief Assistance (2020). He is the 2018 First Runner Up for the Nigerian Student Art Competition.
Currently, Azeez is preoccupied with drawing inspiring effects from International chess pieces that he uses to depict the strength, bravery, authority of Africans and her numerous kings and queens from a civilized culture that existed long before the influence of foreigners. Thus, Azeez's artworks are visual re-branding of Africans in the way he wants them to be perceived.
To him, the game of chess is a perfect metaphor of life because it denotes the individuality and significance of each person, exactly like every chess piece; a lawn as a role to play similarly to the queen.
Azeez's paintings are collaborations between chess pieces and human figures, which he employs to challenge his onlooker and supply optimism in a stimulating manner.
With his favored pallet colors, Azeez's works supply calming and peaceful vibes. Additionally, his restorative pieces ceaselessly stir Africans and colored people of the world to be optimistic in the midst of challenging political times and social issues. He does this using the medium of oil and acrylic.
The application of oil sometimes makes his idealistic paintings come across as dreamlike. But overall, Salami Azeez overwhelmingly impressive paintings communicate his confidence in the future of Africans and colored people around the world.
He has been featured by Thisday and Okechukwu Uwaezuoke's ArtBeatNG in a review titled "Where there is art, there is hope." And in 2019, his works were also included in an Arthouse Channels television report by the award-winning journalist Melinda Akinlami.
Upon the completion of his O-level, he proceeded to Yaba College of Technology, where he received his Ordinary National Diploma in Fine Art. Before he was admitted by the University of Lagos (where Azeez Salami is presently a student), he was mentored by Damilola Opedun, a Lagos-based reputable painter.
Artmiabo Intern’l Art Festival 2023 opens on the 27th of April and ends on the 1st of May 2023. The 2nd edition themed "artofafrobeats" will be held at Ebonylife Place.
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Also, stay tuned for more information on awardees.
Thank you to CABAL, PIQl, JCDECAUX, ROMARONG, MICHELANGELO EBONYLIFE PLACE, WAKAEVENTS AND MULTICHOICE for their backing in making this edition bigger