Artist Bio
<p>Mautin Stephen Abiola AKANDE, popularly known as Oldskool, is a pioneer member of Araism Movement, an art movement in Nigeria that promotes a distinctive art technique referred to as Araism. The technique entails the use of palette knife or brush in creating different tones and shades with a batik-like cracking effect on canvas. Ara as a technique was invented between 1989 and 1996 by a Nigerian experimental studio artist, Mufu Onifade. Expectedly, the uniqueness of Araism form has endeared it to the Nigerian media, public, art patrons and scholars. A 2004 graduate of Fine and Applied Arts from the famous Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. Mautin hails from Ikoga village in Badagry area of Lagos State. He is currently a staff of Nigeria French Language Village (NFLV), an Inter-University Centre for French Studies, AjaraBadagry. He is presently the Branch Secretary NASU – NFLV. Mautin is the first of Mufu Onifade’s pioneer disciples who proved the critics wrong about the authenticity of Ara as a painting technique as he employs delineating strokes, motif-like border and linear strokes as a distinguishing style of the Araism technique.</p>