Abe Odedina, born in 1960 in Ibadan, Nigeria, describes himself as a folk artist. However, his work challenges the notion of ‘folk art’ as a distinct category. Odedina’s art embraces its objecthood, a gesture that is both radical and simple.

“I am not persuaded by the concerns of the formal art project. I can be interested in it and amused by it, but I don’t value it above all else,” says Odedina. Painting on board rather than canvas, his compositions reflect the solidity and practicality of shop fronts or municipal murals. His work incorporates elements of Renaissance portraiture, devotional painting, and pop art, featuring figures from diverse mythologies—Yoruba, Haitian, and Ancient Greek—as well as characters from his own imagination.

“If, like me, you don’t have the discipline or the interest in holding these clear categories,” Odedina explains, “then maybe it’s better to enjoy that morphing from hard facts to poetry, from something to nothing.”