Nothingness I (2022) Painting by Yakubu Kareem Signature Art Gallery

Yakubu oluwaseun Abdulkareem, born 1996, hails from Edo state, grew up in Ikotun, lagos Nigeria where I had my primary and secondary school education. I later went to Auchi Polytechnic,Auchi Edo state where I had my National Diploma in general arts (2017). I'm currently running my Higher National Diploma (HND) at the yaba college of technology at my final year studying painting.

I grew up in a strict environment that didn't support young people doing arts, but during my secondary school's days I had an insight of what visual art is all about as I was offering fine art then. So, I started practicing using my snacks money to buy paper and water color set and since then I have been practicing. During my one-year IT (industrial training program) I took the task to take some of my works to galleries for sale, then I got the info signature art gallery, Lagos has an open market for original art sales. I went there and all of my works were bought by Akar Rahman CEO signature art gallery and since then I've not only been dealing with him, I've been managed and I've received mentorship from him for over two years.

My works basically revolves on how I use/ experiment with materials that I've have at my disposal, I try to see what works with what, who goes who and what I can get from combining up to 6 to 7 different mediums in a painting. I also play with different artistic techniques like using an impasto with wash and finishing with some dry brush strokes... just to see and feel something different from my previous works. I also play around different approaches, changing them every time, always experimenting with accidental strokes to feel something different something new. I use the human form mostly as my subject either life or photograph. Right from my secondary school days I've developed strong interest in life drawing classes and it has influenced my works immensely. The human form became a very interesting subject to me. A never ending/boring subject. The female form I use in my subject most of the time because I find them challenging and more interesting, unlike the male form, most of the time I render with ease. The female body be it thick, skinny, chubby, obsessed, built keeps becoming a mystery, a puzzle like there is more to learn, there more to explore.

The human form is a universal language, it says everything, tells every story. Each gesture, each poses tells an uncountable number of stories.

• Nationality: NIGERIA
• Date of birth : unknown date
• Artistic domains: Represented by a Gallery,
• Groups: Contemporary Nigerian Artists Artists presented by a gallery