A world in pink! Born in 1991, Samuel Olayambo is a Nigerian painter. He currently lives and works in Lagos. His passion for art began at a very early age, specifically with drawing at the age of seven.…
The world through rose-tinted glasses!
Born in 1991, Samuel Olayambo is a Nigerien painter. He currently lives and works in Lagos. His passion for art began at a very early age, specifically with drawing at the age of seven. He started by drawing cartoon characters, and his favourites were the ‘Ghostbusters’ from the 1980s and 1990s. It was at secondary school that he turned to painting and, deeply drawn to this visual art form, decided to devote himself to it. He thus enrolled in the Fine Arts programme at the University of Benin in Edo State, Nigeria, from which he graduated in 2015. Art and creativity are a means for Samuel Olayambo to escape and express himself.
The artist’s favourite themes are toxic masculinity, machismo and gender issues; the main figures in his works are men. His background is closely linked to his artistic creation. Indeed, having grown up in a male-dominated environment with five sisters, he questions the role of men, their (negative) influence and their representation. The omnipresent colour pink is his way of softening and counterbalancing all this male dominance.
Pink represents softness, kindness, compassion and vulnerability – characteristics he believes are often associated with the female gender. He also wishes to break away from clichés and show in his compositions that pink should not be associated with women but with all genders. The artist is fascinated by the ‘scars’ prevalent in certain Yoruba cultures. The dark colour palette of the figures is a nod to these ethnic groups. “I saw a lot of unfairness. For me, regardless of gender, we are all equal and this is the main reason why I use the colour pink in my paintings. I want to challenge the notion that pink is feminine.”
Fatherhood Shelter for All season
A lover of textures, Samuel Olayombo works with oils, acrylics, charcoal and pastels to create vibrant, imposing and large-scale canvases. He uses a palette knife to convey complex three-dimensional skin textures. Through his work, Samuel Olayombo pays homage to artists including Vincent Van Gogh and the contemporary Australian artist Arja Valimaki. His series Unchained: The Cotton Candy Cowboys was exhibited last year at the ADA Contemporary Art Gallery in Accra.
The artist depicts male figures, highlighting the contrast between the characters’ dark skin and the pink palette of the setting and clothing. He also plays on the contrast between the figure of the Black man and the stereotype of the white cowboy, whilst using his signature colour palette to show that these characters can be full of gentleness. The exhibition highlights black cowboys who, although present in history, are largely under-represented. Indeed, this is a little-known fact of the history of the conquest of the West: at the end of the 19th century, 45% of cowboys were black, Mexican, mixed-race or Native American. 
Samuel is currently presenting his exhibition "Lotus Bloom Ranchers" at the Zydoun & Boussuyt gallery in Dubai. His portraits transcend the canvas. In them, he explores masculinity and family ties. The colour and symbols aim to make us rethink the codes and celebrate fatherhood and the emergence of a new model of fatherhood. His work celebrates a multifaceted masculinity that embraces both vulnerability and strength.
"Lotus Bloom Ranchers" exhibition at the Zydoun & Boussuyt Gallery until 17 November