Solomon Awofadeju: Driven by Self-origination
- Solomon Awofadeju
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
Medium:• Oil and Acrylic on canvas
Year:• 2025*
Size:• 121.91 by 91.44
She had always thought that, as a woman, being independent and an entrepreneur was the greatest achievement she could ever have. For years, she never stopped fighting. She fought for greatness, for success, for power, and she achieved it.
The hat on her head symbolized exactly what she had neglected all that time, something she once saw as nothing but a distraction and weakness. She buried it deep, convinced it would slow her down.
Now she is trapped in the depths of her own thoughts. Everything has changed
After greatness, she needs something more: to be married, to have kids. What is worth fighting and dying for if not for LOVE?
In her life, she never stopped fighting, but now she fights for a different purpose. She no longer chases the throne alone.
Now she seeks something Greater. Something Different.
LOVE has become her deepest desire. I’m inspired to create this work because of the sacrifices I have been making lately to be the greatest. A part of me is giving this art piece a voice. In the end, I also hope to achieve what I have sacrificed to be great...
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Title:• Come and See
Medium:• Oil and acrylic on Canvas
Size:• 12inc by 16inc
Year:• 2026
Price on request
Garden Spices accepted the invitation to "Come and See" the work of Solomon Awofadeju. His work captures the strength, compassion, pain, and "wonders" of his subjects. Gate open on Solomon Awofadeju. - Victorine
Artist Statement
As a figurative visual artist, I explore the intersections of fear, perception, and human connection. My artistic style and practice are driven by self-origination. A fascination with the complexities of familial relationships and the resilience of the human spirit.
Through my use of vibrant colors and expressive brushstrokes with oil, acrylic, and stone on canvas, I aim to bridge the gaps in familial relationships and mend the bonds of broken homes.
This exhibition offers a unique opportunity for me to showcase my artistic inquiry and push the boundaries of my medium. Through the "Couple of wonders" series, I mastered the pattern of the (Ghana Must Go), which stands as my artistic originality. This series of works speaks of humanity's struggles, pain, and success. This combination of works is a powerful voice to all communities on the race of Success.
Medium:• Oil and Acrylic on Canvas
Dimensions:• 121.92 by 121.92cm
Year:• 2026
Adeshewa is a spirited 23-year-old lady whose resilience and determination shine through every brushstroke. A hardworking young lady, she once supported her late mother in the family’s clothing marketing business. After her mother’s passing, Adeshewa took up the mantle full-time. To keep the legacy alive, she reinvented herself as a model, using her own body as a living billboard to showcase the beautiful dresses her mother once sold.
In this painting, she wears a striking **Ghana Must Go** patterned cloth, which I intentionally incorporated as my personal artistic signature. This iconic woven plastic fabric—historically tied to migration, resilience, and everyday West African life—has been reimagined in high fashion and art worldwide. Here, it symbolizes endurance and transformation. The distinctive background is a unique technical pattern I developed to ensure my works are instantly recognizable at auctions, exhibitions, and collections.
As an artist, my mission is to celebrate human struggles, narrate stories of love, and help heal broken homes and fractured relationships. This piece, above all, speaks of **faith**, **belief**, and the unwavering power of perseverance. Adeshewa—whose very name means “the crown makes beauty” in Yoruba—embodies the truth that even in loss and hardship, grace and greatness can emerge.
Title:• (COLONIALISM) Couple of wonders 4
Medium:• Oil, Acrylic and Stone on Canvas
Dimension:• 121.91cm by 91.44cm
Year:• 2026
Ama, a Ghanaian woman born in 1940 near Kumasi during British colonial rule over the Gold Coast, grows up witnessing the exploitation of cocoa farms, missionary influence, and growing resistance that leads to Ghana’s independence in 1957. Frustrated and (blindfolded) cause she decided not to listen and learn from the westerners, even when education was made available to slaves and non slaves.
Economic hardship in post-independence Ghana—famine, inflation, and political instability—forces the family to migrate to Nigeria in 1975 during its oil boom. In Lagos, Ama works as a market trader selling produce.
Tensions rise as Nigeria’s economy falters in the early 1980s after the oil price crash, leading to high unemployment. In January 1983, President Shehu Shagari issued an executive order expelling undocumented migrants, targeting over two million West Africans (about one million Ghanaians) with a two-week deadline to leave or face arrest. This echoes Ghana’s own 1969 expulsion of Nigerians, fueling old grudges.
Chaos erupts: neighbors turn hostile, chanting “Ghana Must Go.” Ama packs her belongings into cheap, checkered plastic bags (later famously named “Ghana Must Go” bags) and joins the desperate exodus toward the border. The journey is brutal—crowds surge under the sun, police use force, and Ama is devastated but must press on.
Ama returns to a famine-stricken Ghana, settling in Accra’s slums. Overwhelmed by grief and loss, she falls ill and dies five years later.
The story weaves colonial legacies of division with post-independence betrayals between neighboring nations, illustrating how economic crises and political scapegoating fracture families and regional brotherhood—yet hint at eventual healing through ECOWAS cooperation and shared lessons from the scars.
Written and created by Awofadeju Solomon Promise
@rengelstoeckli @robertshiell @ooa.gallery @mazitundeednut @collection_girard @londonlighthousegallery @mr.derek.london @amb_jake_randolph @windsor.gallery @windsor.gallery_abuja @warriorlawyer @jane_ugah @baba_jallah
Couple of wonders series 5
Medium:• Oil and Acrylic on canvas
Size:• 76.2cm x 90.44cm
Year:• 2026
Available
A personal storyline and spiritual inspiration. I have no limits; I create from what troubles my mind. What I desire, the (Ghana must go) bag symbolizes my artistic style. Sooner they’ll read and pronounce my name from the largest magazine on earth 🌍, the world is full of creative souls, but I must be the best. This is my calling, there’s no turning back ☮️👤
@mofe_i @blackartistcollective @amb_jake_randolph @mege1 @mazitundeednut
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