A-ARTs: ‘I Have A Dream’ of stringart with Ogunlende

'I Have A Dream's (stringart, 20x26 inches, dated 2024) by Omotoyosi Ogunlende.

By Tajudeen Sowole

OUTSIDE the walls of juried exhibitions, sometimes the public appraisal, perception and appreciation don’t always align with the organised and formal verdict of a panel. From one side of the complexity, some artists do get favourable critical appraisal.

And when such verdict is bestowed on one artist at two different juried events, within a period of one year as asserts by Omotoyosi Olanrewaju Ogunlende, it requires more than luck to be so favoured. At the 2026 edition of Talent Prize Winner by Teravarna Art Gallery and 2025 Artist of the Month by Be Open Future, both in Belfast, Northern Island, Ogunlende emerged top, confirming the creative energy he has invested in fine art over the years. And just few weeks ago, he showed in the Late Night Art, at Arts for All Gallery, a monthly event, and Realms of Transit a group exhibition at 2royalAvenue Belfast.

From a critical appreciation lens, Ogunlende’s works offer a window to view the difference between jury’s verdict and those of the public, or converge the two ends. And when an artist picks one of the most common faces in visual representation as a subject, the critical view of the work becomes more pronounced.

In one of the most pictured famous persons of black African descents, Ogunlende picked his entry for the 2026 edition of Teravarna Talent Prize. Either in photography, paintings and other visual representations, American, Martin Luther King Jnr (1929-1968), is perhaps, one of the most published portraits across 20th through 21st centuries. In Ogunlende’s rendition of King’s portrait, he implores monochromatic texture with high key lighting tone.

The pseudo-impressionism texture of the portrait, no doubt, creates a bust illusion effect of three-dimension image on a flat surface. The complexity of creating portrait of a famous person comes in the availability of little space for any artist to be adventurous in recreating additional personality for the subject. For Ogunlende’s ‘Í Have A Dream’ portrait, it appears that the rule of less adventure doesn’t apply in his capturing of King Jnr.

The late American activist died at 39, as nearly all the known pictures and reproduction of his portraits, including paintings, drawings and sculptures have stayed within the age period of his death. Ogunlende’s attempt to be innovative with King’s portrait seems to have led to recreating a more youthful personality of someone in his early 20s; about half the age of the subject when he died.

As simple as portrait art appears, it has proven to be the most debated, perhaps complex to handle, either as a commissioned or presentation in juried exhibitions. If the Teravama Talent Prize 2026 were subjected to public voting alongside the jury process, the latter might still take the day, but with a slim margin against the former. The public verdict, rightly, could pick holes in the wide age gap difference between the real King Jnr and the portrait depiction by Ogunlende.

While engaging the artist’s capture of a younger King Jnr, the texture of the portrait with uncommon medium of stringing with nails takes another part of one’s attention. With what Ogunlende tagged as “stringart” medium, the portrait emits a frieze-like texture, exposing the artist’s sympathy for sculptural forms.

As much as experimental medium such as Ogunlende’s stringart challenges the regular materials in mixed media, the disposition of art lovers towards unfamiliar materials in appreciating art cannot be taken for granted. Proudly displaying unique art of uncommon medium also comes with the challenges of handling aging of such art piece. At certain time, for whatever reason, every art piece would need restoration, with or without the presence of the first or original artist.

Irrespective of whatever perception that Ogunlende’s art radiates, his journey of experimental medium has established him as “a multidisciplinary visual artist / educator and Youth worker” according to his bio. His practice primarily focuses on the self-taught medium of string art and metal sculpture.

After graduating from Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Nigeria, with a Higher National Diploma in Sculpture, his work experience include Lagos Fringe Festival as Arts Director & Lead Exhibitor, 2020 - 2023;

Artly Mix Gallery, International Group Exhibition, Brazil, 2023; SOTO Gallery, Group exhibition, Lagos, 2023; and Breath of Hope Africa, Online Global Exhibition, 2020.

Line, light through digital brushings-of Oseh