Artist Bio
<p style="text-align: justify; line-height: 16.5pt; background: white;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">Oluwagbenga Francis-Omiiye (formerly Omiata), born in </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="tel:1978" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color: black;">1978</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"> in Lagos, hails from Ekiti state. He Attended Baptise Primary School, Surulere, Lagos in </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="tel:1984" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color: black;">1984</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">, Iponri Estate High School, Lagos in </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="tel:1991" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color: black;">1991</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">, and Loyola College, Ibadan in </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="tel:1995" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color: black;">1995</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">. Oluwagbenga Francis-Omiiye graduated as a sculptor from the department of fine arts, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-ife in </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="tel:2005" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color: black;">2005</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify; line-height: 16.5pt; background: white;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">As a practicising studio .artist, He expresses is artworks in painting, and sculpture, He also works as a graphic designer/illustrator. Oluwagbenga Francis-Omiiye has taken part in various group exhibitions in Nigeria, as well as in the UK(London), among is the London biennale art exchange in </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="tel:2008" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color: black;">2008</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">. In </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="tel:2009" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color: black;">2009</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">, He organized his first solo art exhibition in Lewisham arthouse, theme "My Sojourn: between two world" in London. His plan and intent towards the solo art exhibition is to have sequels of it presenting the African story through the eyes of arts and design.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify; line-height: 16.5pt; background: white;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">Oluwagbenga Francis-Omiiye worked in the cartoon department of the Guardian Nigeria newspaper first as an industrial attachment training student in </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="tel:2003" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color: black;">2003</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">, after which he worked as a freelance artist </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="tel:20062012" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color: black;">2006 to 2012</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">, He also worked as an illustrator with Macmillan publishers’ revised books, Textworth publishers, and Bolu Simoyan book titled: Naija the 8th world wonder. In 2012, He established a clothing firm, with the intent to further express artistic prowess within the fashion space.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify; line-height: 16.5pt; background: white;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;">Art for him is a way of telling story, expressing the inner thoughts in visual forms. Oluwagbenga Francis-Omiiye style of art is largely influenced by his environment, human forms and figures, he enjoy working in various medium from drawing to painting, to sculpture and design</span></p>