INTERVIEW WITH OLUWADEMILADE ADETULA

 

What is your background? How does it inform your art?

My name is Adetula Oluwademilade. I was born on the 26th of August, 2002. I am an undergraduate of creative arts at the university.

I am a visual (abstract) artist and applied (textile) artist. I am also a poet, voice actor and basketballer.

I have been playing basketball since 2014 when I was in junior secondary school one. I began playing basketball professionally after secondary school. 

I have been creating abstract and textile art since I was in senior secondary school one. 

I began writing poetry in 2020. My voice acting career took off after I joined the League of Voice Actors of Nigeria in 2020.

Art runs in my family. My mother is a drummer, singer, songwriter, disc jockey and nonfiction writer while my father is a public relations executive whose work involves a lot of writing and public speaking.

My late maternal grandmother was also a textile artist and she majored on adire, batik and woven designs. She was also an art illustrator, fashion designer, jewelry designer, dancer, pianist and violinist. 

Also, I have grand aunties, aunties and uncles who are into jewelry designing, fashion designing, textile designing, makeup artistry and other forms of art.

What type of art do you consume?

I consume different types of art like music (afrobeat, afropop, hip-pop, pop), drama (comedy, romantic, tragic-comedy), dance and painting. All of these art forms form the basis of my ideas.

Who/what are your most important artistic influences? 

I get influenced by my culture, community and personal life.

What type of art do you create and what motivates you to make it?

The types of art that I create are visual art with focus on abstract art and applied art with focus on textile art. 

The motivation to create these art comes from my observation of the Yoruba and pop cultures. I progressed from the traditional indigo adire colour into different colours and modern attires starting with T-shirts.

My motivation also comes from what I see, hear and feel.

What materials, processes, techniques, etc., do you use to create your artwork?

The textile design (tie-dye) which I currently focus on, is one which involves many materials, processes and techniques. The bases of my textile art are my design, dye, fabric and chemicals. Other materials include, buckets, kettle, stick, table spoon, board, raffia, etc.

My materials, processes and techniques are my trade secrets *winks*.

Is there a connection between your message and the way you make your art? 

Yes, there is. My art portrays self-confidence, truth, integrity and justice.

What is your artwork exploring, underneath everything? 

My art is exploring the passage of time, political and social issues, pop culture and mental health.

What do people need to know about you, about how you think and why you create to understand and appreciate your artwork?

I need people to know that I do not just do art for fun. I create art because I have the talent for it, it is therapeutic and it is financially rewarding.

What are you besides an artist?

I am a dedicated basketball player.

How do you define your role in life? 

My role is life is to let the world feel the positivity that I bring.

How do you make your living? 

I make a living from my:

1. Abstract Art

2. Textile Art

3. Poetry

4. Voice Acting

5. Basketball Playing

How do you seek opportunities?

I seek for opportunities via the internet and market my art and products on social media and via word of mouth. 

What are your most important relationships? 

Currently, my most important relationships are with my nuclear family which consists of my mother, father and two brothers.

How does art-making impact other parts of your life?

Art has made me to be self-employed, busy, emotionally and mentally balanced, business savvy and free from peer influence.

How do you define success as an artist? 

For me, success as an artist begins when I gain respect for the work that I do, grow financially and get continuous satisfaction from what I create and its perception by my customers.

What do you hope to accomplish in life?

I hope to accomplish bigger rewards due to the hard work that I put in everything that I do.

What is the general comment about your work?

The general comment about my work is that I am good and I must be better.

What are your future plans for your business? 

I hope to break into new grounds with respect to my textile art. 

I hope to create abstract art for exhibitions.

I hope to publish my anthology of poems.

I look forward to taking on voice acting jobs.

I look forward to getting drafted into the Nigerian Basketball Association.

SADIST SARS or is it SWAT?

I have scars on my mind and hind from SARS;

Criminals who think they are chasing criminals.

Theirs is the way of barbaric animals,

Bribery and killing is their main game.

Protecting the people?

They have lost that aim.

Locking up the innocent behind bars,

Giving them psychological scars.

What have we done to deserve this?

We were not born for this.

Never call us your friend,

For that is a big lie

Never! 

On your promises,

We can never rely.

 

SARS or SWAT?

None should ever be.

Pouring new wine into old skin bags will only burst the nation's bubble.

Did I burst your bubble?

Children of our leaders will eat of this,

If they cannot put a stop to this.

Being the gluttonous shark is your aim,

Eating all at sea is your game.

 

We knock on the ears of our leaders,

But they play deaf to our pleas,

They play dumb to our pain,

Our cries seem to be in vain.

Our sorrows they mock,

Our poor plight, 

They make no effort to put to an end

But we the Nigerian youths will put an end 

To using us as a means to an end.

We are the monsters your sadism has made.

© Oluwademilade Adetula 2020

Kindly follow Oluwademilade Adetula on social media:

Facebook: @demidetula

Instagram: @demidetula.ng