Check Out Tope Alawaye’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tope Alawaye.

Hi Tope , we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Well, I started my art career in 2019 at the age of 17, I started practicing art professionally in 2022 here in Ibadan, Nigeria. I participated in some art exhibition across Nigeria both online and physical. I’ve worked for many fashion brands online including puma and David Blackmoore in Lagos, Nigeria.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not really, my journey as an artist hasn’t been smooth but I have been able to make good things out of many unpleasant experiences. One of the struggles I had been an artist is that people especially here in Nigeria have little or no respect for creativity in general, they somehow tagged an artist as a lazy fellow which makes it more difficult to be seen or heard.

Another struggle I had as an artist is that there is no enough support for artist financially or emotionally, everything around me feels very empty and nothing really add up as enough inspiration. But despite all odds, I and every other Nigerian artist keeps trying to make creativity great.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a figurative artist using charcoal and acrylic on canvas. I specialize in telling stories and reliving memories through my paintings. One of the body of works in my collection “WHAT BLACK LOVE LOOKS LIKE”series tells story about the kind of love black people shared and showed the world how much black people love and care for one another despite all their adversities.

How do you think about happiness?
Art makes me happy 😃, the ability that I could converse to my audience without having saying anything is one of the reasons why I’m happy to be an artist.

Pricing:

• Commission artwork: price range ($200- $1000)
• My ready to go artworks: price range ($1500-$4000)

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @topealawaye
• Facebook: @topealawaye
• Twitter: The old soul artist @topealawaye025

Image Credits
Credit: Tope Alawaye