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Ibiyinka Alao, a Lafayette visiting artist and the honorary Art Ambassador of Nigeria, will present the art exhibit, One Night of Grace, and a lecture on his work Thursday, June 24 in the Williams Visual Arts Building.
The Perversity Of Life (Girls And Greener Environment) by Ibiyinka Alao
Over the past two months, Alao has performed lectures and workshops at area schools through a residency sponsored by the College’s art department and Community-Based Teaching Program. He is also hosting workshops on campus for Lafayette students on the art of Nigeria and his art-making process.
Alao’s lecture will be at 4 p.m., with the One Night of Grace exhibition, which will also feature art from students in his workshops, following at 5:30 p.m. in the first floor lobby gallery. A reception including food from different regions of Africa will run from 5:30-7 p.m. The events are free and open to the public. The Williams Visual Arts Building is located at 243 North Third Street.
Alao won global recognition in 2001 when his painting titled “The Perversity Of Life (Girls and a Greener Environment)” won first place in the United Nation’s International Art Competition out of entries from 61 countries. As a result, his home country awarded him the honorary title of Art Ambassador of Nigeria.
He has spent the last seven years discussing contemporary African life and how that translates into his artwork at universities, public schools, libraries, and community centers across the globe. Alao’s artwork celebrates diversity, and he speaks about achieving peace through creativity and expression.
He has had more than 400 paintings in exhibits and permanent collections at The Harvard Business School, Indianapolis Art Center, the Martin Luther King Art Center, the Empire State Building, the United Nations headquarters, the Nigerian Consulate, and the Nigerian Embassy.