“The canvas does not ask where you are from. It only asks what you have to say.” –
Olu Ajayi

Olu Ajayi’s legacy will be celebrated in Lagos through a memorial exhibition titled “Colour as Resistance: The Art and Advocacy of Olu Ajayi,” a gathering designed to honour the life and enduring influence of one of Nigeria’s respected visual artists and cultural voices.

Scheduled for Saturday, May 23, 2026, at The Gallery of J.Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, Onikan, Lagos, the event will bring together artists, scholars, collectors, cultural advocates, and admirers who encountered Ajayi’s work and activism across decades of Nigerian contemporary art.

Remembered as a painter, cartoonist, scholar, and art activist, Olu Ajayi built a reputation for using colour and visual storytelling to explore social realities, human emotion, and cultural consciousness. His works consistently reflected the anxieties, beauty, contradictions, and resilience of African society, making him one of the distinctive voices within Nigeria’s creative landscape.

The memorial programme will begin with a symposium from 3PM to 5PM, where artists, scholars, and fellow activists will reflect on his life, work, and artistic philosophy. This will be followed by the official exhibition opening at 5:30PM, with the exhibition remaining on view until June 6, 2026. A reception featuring refreshments and live music by Abbey Afowoslide & The Abinibi Band will conclude the evening.

More than a tribute, the exhibition represents a continuation of the conversations Olu Ajayi championed throughout his life  conversations about identity, advocacy, artistic responsibility, and the power of visual expression within African society.

Fittingly, one of the artist’s memorable reflections appears at the heart of the memorial:

“The canvas does not ask where you are from. It only asks what you have to say.”
Even in remembrance, Olu Ajayi’s voice continues to speak through colour.

iBAND Magazine, Celebrating Visual Arts from the Original.
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