b. 1958, Ibadan, Nigeria Lives and works in Lagos, Nigeria Abiodun Olawale Olaku is a distinguished Nigerian painter renowned for his mastery of realism and poetic use of light. He began his artistic journey at Baptist Academy in Lagos before studying at Yaba College of Technology (1976–1981), where he trained under eminent masters such as Yusuf Grillo, Kolade Oshinowo, and Dr. Isiaka Osunde. After graduating, he briefly worked in the federal civil service but resigned in 1989 to pursue a full-time studio career. Olaku’s signature technique (building forms from dark to light using layers of grays topped with strong highlights) creates a dramatic interplay of shadow and illumination that evokes mood, introspection, and emotional depth. His paintings are visual odes to evolving Nigerian life, capturing both subtle atmospherics and the rich narratives of human experience. He earned major portrait commissions for former leaders, including Generals Obasanjo and Gowon for the National Gallery of Art, and has exhibited extensively at home and abroad. A respected mentor and cultural figure, Olaku served as a founding member and vice president of the Guild of Professional Fine Artists of Nigeria, as well as a trustee of the Universal Studios of Art at the National Theatre in Lagos. He remains an active member of the Society of Nigeria Artists. In October 2024, he mounted his first solo exhibition in twenty years titled; Odyssey: A Retrospective of Drawings and Paintings, at the National Museum Onikan in Lagos, revisiting and celebrating over four decades of his artistic evolution. Critics continue to praise his work’s intensity, naturalism, and poetic luminosity, likening his light-infused scenes to the works of classical masters and affirming his legacy as a bridge between generations of Nigerian artists.