I want to draw faces of 1,000 personalities in the world – 9-yr-old artist

Daily Trust on Sunday had an encounter with nine-year-old Morenikeji Ebunoluwa Joshua, a young artist currently drawing faces of 1,000 high impact personalities around the world.

At age nine, he has started making a name for himself and perhaps the youngest visual artist in Nigeria. His dreams of becoming a global star appear distinctive and strong.

The lad was the cynosure of all eyes at the recently concluded Gateway International Trade Fair where he handed a pencil drawing of the portrait of Aliko Dangote, the Africa’s richest man and industrialist, to the representatives of the Dangote Group.

Ebunoluwa, gift of God, as his name implies, began drawing at the age of four without being taught or born into the lineage of an artist. “It’s a gift from God as my name implies,” he said.

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The visual artist is in his fourth year at the Federal College of Education Staff School, Osiele, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Speaking to Daily Trust on Sunday, Ebunoluwa said “I started drawing at age 4 and nobody taught me. Nobody draws in my family.”

Some of the major personalities’ drawings to his credit include President Bola Tinubu; Governor Ademola Adeleke; Governor Dapo Abiodun; Dangote; Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi; Elon Musk; Davido, among others.

This is part of his ongoing project to draw faces of 1,000 high impact personalities in the world.

“My project is to draw 1,000 faces of high impact people that are making the world better through their positive contributions in their various communities across the world,” the lad explained.

Ebunoluwa said he currently has 200 pencil sketches to his credit and requires an art gallery where he will be displaying his artworks to inspire his generation.

He said “I have more than 200 pencil sketches to my credit. So, I want to have my own gallery where I would display all my artworks.

“I want to display my artworks so as to inspire my generation and lead others to greater heights.”

He told Daily Trust on Sunday that it took him just two hours to draw Dangote’s portrait.

Ebunoluwa was awarded the Most Confident Skill Virtual Artist of the Year 2022 in Lagos at Eko talent award.

“My message to children like me is that, when they see anything that they have interest in, they should never give up, they should keep on with their dreams,” he said.

His proud father, Bosun Morenikeji, is a civil servant. He admitted that there is no visual artist in his lineage.

Morenikeji said “He started his artistic journey when he was still a toddler, that time he would use brooms to make objects, plastic to make bicycles.

“So, we discovered that he has this artistic talent and that is why we started supporting him by buying him drawing materials and currently he’s into pencil sketches.”

“He has more than 200 pencil sketches to his credit, he has drawn notable individuals and he has a project that he is doing currently he calls it 1,000 faces of high impact and he’s intention is to draw 1,000 faces of people that are making the world better in their various communities across the world. And that is why he drew Alhaji Aliko Dangote because he is one of the people in this country making the world better.”

The father explained that his talent is beyond human imagination, so the family has no option than to encourage him.

“What we concluded was that art has found him and he has found art and that is why we are encouraging him. Currently, he’s requesting for a gallery which I believe well-meaning Nigerians can assist him to have. We have bundles of his artworks that we don’t have where to display them.

“So, he really needs a gallery to display his work so that, as he said, he can impact his generation.”

He added that “I believe he will take this talent beyond the shores of this continent. He has gotten several awards. He won the most confident kid artist in Eko Award in the year 2022. Also in the year 2023, Luminary award gave him the youngest virtual artist award and several other awards.”