Artist Bio

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Olatunde Barber, son of the renowned Nigerian artist Abayomi Barber, was immersed in the Nigerian art scene from an early age, fostering a deep interest in its dynamics and politics. Influenced by his father's art, Olatunde continues the legacy of naturalistic art seen in the exquisite works of the Ife empire (1200 to 1420) and the surrealistic style introduced by Abayomi Barber. Not only a practicing artist, Olatunde is also a curator and art historian. His upbringing provided an inherent understanding of the art world, but his experiences in the studio, curating, and art historical research expanded his perspective, allowing him to position Nigerian art within broader theoretical and global contexts. As a curator, Olatunde delves into a profound exploration of complex black African and Nigerian identities, offering nuanced insights into sub-Saharan African art, postcolonialism, arts development, and the global art market. He obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Leicester's School of Museum Studies. He began his career as a curator at the National Gallery of Art, Nigeria. Since 2010, he has lectured at the Department of Fine and Applied Arts at Lagos State Polytechnic and, since 2012, has served as a curator at the University of Lagos Library's Museum section. Olatunde has actively participated in and curated numerous group exhibitions since the year 2000.</span></p>