Being a professional artist goes beyond drawing or painting —Rotimi

Godwin Rotimi is a Nigeria-based visual artist, painter and educator from Ekiti State Nigeria. He was born in Lagos, western part of Nigeria and lived as a child in Kaduna, northern part of the same country before moving to the west where he hails from. The formative years he spent as a child and movement from one part of Nigeria to the other has deeply impacted his works till date. He works across oil, acrylic and mixed media. With figures gently placed in their intimate spaces, the works explore the theme of solitude, memorial, identity, popular culture and cultural awareness.

I believe all artists have their origin story of how they started art. Can you talk about yours?

Well, I would say I’ve always had an interest in art since I was a child. I loved drawing so I used to draw in all my school notes. Back then, the back covers of my notes were covered with drawings. Also, I had few friends and the age gap between my siblings was a bit wide. So, art was like a companion to me. I created stories with the drawings to entertain myself. It was more of a hobby. I never thought it would become my profession. In fact, it was after a few years of waiting for admission into a university that I told myself, “Why don’t you study art? I did exactly that and I’ve been practising since then even after finishing school.

So, you studied art then made it a profession. At what point in time did art change from being just a passion or a course of study to you?

It happened in my second year in university in 2017. That was when I decided to take it more seriously than being just something I’m passionate about. The reality of the importance of money dawned on me. Things were hard then. So, I started pondering on what I could do to become successful in doing what I love. I met with an older friend (Olayinka Ojo) and asked him questions on how to combine passion with school. He had experience in this kind of situation because he was a photographer and also a student. He told me that what’s more important is your passion. And you can turn your passion into a business. Back then, I actually participated in an exhibition in 2015. But meeting with Olayinka Ojo made me realize that I’ve not taken art seriously yet. So, I started to research how to become a successful professional artist. I kick-started my professional art career after I finished school.

So, how’s the experience of being a professional artist?

Well, the best word to define the experience is taxing. And challenging. Being a professional artist goes beyond drawing or painting. You have to research and study a lot. It involves critical thinking, flexibility, and learning how to be conscious of your environment. You have to learn about your audience and how to have a unique art style. Notwithstanding all of that, it has been fun too. It has been amazing testing my capabilities and going beyond them.

Okay, let’s talk about your style. I noticed a consistent style of painting on your Instagram page. How did you come to choose that style?

I would say my style came to me. I didn’t discover it. After I finished school, I discovered the trend of the art movement and the importance of having a consistent body of work. Then I started working on what could make me stand out among other artists. I wanted people to see my work and say, “Oh, this is Rotimi Godwin.” I tried a lot of funny things. I tried things synonymous with African culture and traditions. I knew that whatever I would do needed to be original, it needed to stem from who I am and where I came from. I did research back down to my cultural and historical background. I looked back on my personal experiences—the most challenging moments of my life. That was exactly where I believe I found myself, my story. I saw my childhood as being the most challenging part of my life. The struggle I had with inferiority complex, of not being good enough or not up to standard compared with other kids. That stood out for me. As I got older, I became more self-appreciative. I became more self-aware and grew courage through my art. But my childhood was quite challenging for me. And that’s why I decided to incorporate the spots into my works. It just came to me one day like, “I have this thing and its part of me. It could be a shared experience and still be personal. Others might have gone through it, it’s still my own story.” That was how I got the style of putting the spots on the skin. They’re more like an emblem of something I carry around on me.

Like scars?

Yeah, Like scars. So, I believe that our stories are much more unique and our experiences are what make us who we are. It’s just like me carrying my experiences, embodying my experiences as a person. And that’s what makes me who I am today. I believe it’s the same thing with every other person. Your unique experience is what makes you who you are. And that thing is in you. You carry it. You embody it. It’s not the same thing as what others carry. Our experiences are unique in a way. And so that was how I discovered the spots. And fortunately, it was also a pattern that is associated with the African culture of where I come from. The leopard skin is quite symbolic to African culture. You see it in many African cultures. It’s an animal that bears the African totem of strength and uniqueness. You can see it in the Benin culture, Akure culture. I grew up in Akure. And the king of Akure is called, “Akure Omo Oloyemekun”. This means, “Akure, the son of the leopard.” So, my art boils down to my roots.

Thank you for explaining all of that. It’s nice to gain insight into your process of discovering your style. So, after discovering your unique style, what motivates you daily to go into the studio to create new works with your style?

I’m motivated by a lot of things. My life experiences are my greatest motivation. I draw inspiration from my experiences, cultural background, and history. I’m also motivated by the uniqueness of African culture. Our stories are not being told enough. And I pray and wish for a time that there would be a platform for me to express much more on the African stories and to broaden the scope of the narrative. Our stories go beyond the colour of our skin, equality, and colonialism. Our stories are unique and beautiful. So, I believe that a time will come when I’ll have the ability and platform to engage these stories.

So, what you’re saying is that your life experience and African identity inspire you to create new works every day. You’re motivated by creating new, undiscovered narratives of Africans.

Yes.

When creating new works, what comes first for you? Is it the story you want to communicate or the image in your mind that comes first?

I would say, inspiration is quite unique all the time. Sometimes, it’s the stories first. Sometimes, I find myself resonating with images that already tell my story. So, I juggle it together till I find a proper way of interpreting the story.

What’s your daily routine? Do you have one? Or do you paint as the muse leads?

Life is quite funny. I do have a routine. But other things that are quite important do come up that I need to attend to. So, sometimes I skip the routine. I don’t want to give you a cliché response like, “Oh, this is my routine. I do this, I do that.” Normally, I wake up in the morning and do some personal stuff before I move into the studio to work. Then, I work till the evening. And sometimes, I take days off from the studio to do other stuff.

Thank you for explaining. Now, I’m going to ask what I hope to be the last question. What do you hope your art will communicate to viewers? What is the story you hope they get?

I want people to connect with my art on a deeper level. It’s going to go beyond the pictorial value or aesthetics that you could see the art beyond the image. I hope people get clarity, boldness, awareness, and even deliverance from looking through my work. I want my art to resonate with my viewers again and again.

Culled from www.medium.com