Olamilekan Abatan Nigeria, b. 1997
I rewrite art history from an African perspective, centering the dignity of our peoples in classical masterpieces."
Olamilekan Abatan is a Nigerian hyperrealist artist born in Lagos in 1997. He uses charcoal, pencil, and traditional African fabrics to create works celebrating African culture and black power. Captivated by the Old Masters, particularly Caravaggio, Abatan recreates "Africanized" versions of classical masterpieces, rewriting art history from an African perspective. A prolific and rising star of contemporary art, he merges classicism and contemporaneity in a timeless visual dialogue that challenges traditional narratives and centers African dignity in the canon of Western art.