Exhibitions

AKINTAYO AKINTOBI: ILANA ORI-OKE ATIYANRIN [T(H)READING SANDS & MOUNTAINS]

Tipton Gallery (ETSU) / 126 Spring St. , Johnson city, TN February 1 - 9th

Akintayo Akintobi

ETSU Department of Art& Design and Slocumb Galleries present Ilana ori-oke atiyanrin [T(h)reading Sands & Mountains] by Akintayo Akintobi, first of a series of five MFA exhibitions at Tipton Gallery with reception on February 2, First Friday from 6 to 8 p.m.

Drawing from Akintobi’s personal experiences, which possess a universal resonance, these body of work articulate his perspectives and emotions concerning the rules, culture, and challenges of his upbringing in Nigeria and present life residing in America. He engages in a thoughtful exploration, questioning both cultures and discerning what elements contribute to shaping his identity and personality in life and art.

Akintayo Akintobi is a Visual artist and MFA candidate at ETSU Department of Art& Design. He was born in Ibadan, a city in Southwestern Nigeria. He earned a Bachelor of Arts and Education, specializing in Painting from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife Nigeria. He has participated in several group exhibitions and art competitions
locally and internationally.

Akintobi’s work explores the fusion of Yoruba and American culture, connection between his childhood and adulthood, struggles of being a Black and African in diaspora. He uses shapes, African motifs, patterns, and sand particularly to convey the complexity of human emotions, unique behaviors, his experiences. He incorporates symbolic representations that portray metaphors, stories, and aesthetic values particular to the Yoruba and American culture.