Akintayo Akintobi is a Visual artist. He was born in Ibadan, a city in Southwestern Nigeria. He has been painting since he was seven years old, and about a decade ago, he started painting professionally. He earned a Bachelor of Arts and Education, specializing in Painting from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife Nigeria. He has participated in several group exhibitions and art competitions locally and internationally.  

Akintobi’s work explores the rich Yoruba culture. He uses shapes, African motifs, and patterns to convey the complexity of human emotions, unique behaviors, and reactions to situations in the environment and society he was nurtured. He incorporates symbolic representations that portray metaphors, stories, and aesthetic values particular to the West African and Yoruba cultures. He is pursuing a master’s degree program in studio Art at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee. United States. 

I explore the fusion of my experiences in American and Nigerian culture. These works are a meditation on my life growing up in Nigeria alongside my experiences during my graduate program over the last three years in the United States. I delve into cultural perspectives within and outside of my narrative, tracing identity and creativity within the dynamic context of both countries. This body of work is centered on my observations regarding the differences between my former life in Nigeria and my current life in the United States. I work with various materials and imagery including sand, spiral forms, repurposed blue denim jeans, Yoruba Indigo batik patterns, barn quilt patterns, and other geometric forms. 

I traverse through themes of history, identity, personal struggles, family, traditions, and culture shock. Working with mixed media has led to a more personal way of describing cross-cultural narratives, raising questions about the strangeness of existing in both worlds. In essence, I have found myself constantly feeling the need to learn, unlearn, and relearn the various rules of art and culture so that I can articulate my perspectives and emotions about Nigeria's contrasting ways of life with America. My journey, however unique to me, contains universal resonance while shaping my identity and personality through my life and art.