For Lagos based digital artist, Muyiwa Akhigbe, the inner child is a playground for artistic expression and freedom. With his new found art style, ‘abstract amateurism’, Muyiwa seeks to reconnect the adult human mind to one’s inner child.
Beginning his art career with photography and evolving into imaginative realism, Muyiwa is ready to take on the world with his art style which seeks to capture the nostalgia of childhood. In his words, they “make me feel like a child again”.
Muyiwa also owns an online art gallery known as ‘narta tangi’ where he curates his exceptional art with the purpose of connecting with people and helping them connect with their imaginative selves. If creating is a drug, then Muyiwa is high on it, “if I’m not creating, I’m not in a state where I can navigate life well”, he says.
Muyiwa’s story is an inspirational tale of mental fortitude and tenacity consistently pushing himself for the sole development of his artistic practice and proving that anything is possible as long as you set your heart to it and trust your intuition.
How did you develop your art style? What inspired your love for art?
This might sound cliché, but I would say, art found me. I have always had an eye for things that are visually pleasing and I love to create. The first artistic medium I experimented with was photography while I was in school. A couple of years later, I got into design and learned how to use Photoshop, and that’s how my foray into digital arts began. My current art style is one I want to explore to the farthest and deepest lengths possible because of how special it is to me. I randomly stumbled on it while on YouTube, it was a suggestion from YouTube but it was so interesting so I kept watching and then I went to the page to watch more videos, it felt like someone was speaking to me; something clicked in me that day. I opened my laptop, brought up a blank canvas, and I started creating and everything felt so seamless. I can see it in how people have been relating to my work recently. I’ve been dabbling in imaginative realism for a while now but this year has been different, I’m creating art and people are connecting to it.
How has your style has evolved over the years?
I’ve been practicing imaginative realism style since 2018. Imaginative realism is an art style that involves the process of taking elements that occur naturally and displacing them, you know maneuvering them to interact with other elements that it wouldn’t necessarily interact in a natural setting. If you think about ships, you think oceans and seas but in imaginative realism, those ships would on sailing on the clouds. It’s basically bending reality to suit or to fit into my imagination, there’s a lot of photo manipulation involved. I also have an online art gallery called ‘narta tangi’ where I showcase all my works.
The more I practice and research the more my art evolves, my current art style is an exploration of child-like drawings; it’s raw and amateurish as if drawn by a young boy or girl. It centers around the reconnection to one’s inner child. Every time, I use this art style, I’m always taken back to my childhood, reliving fun memories and I’m also glad people can relate to that feeling whenever they see the works on social media and that’s all the validation I need to continue. It’s a new and exciting journey for me and I’m looking forward to exploring more.
Who are your biggest influences and inspirations in the art world?
Jean Michel Basquiat is an inspiration to me. I deeply admire his work and art style especially his work ethic and approach to art. I also have friends who are amazing artists, one of whom is VOFO, she’s good at what she does.
Let’s talk about your project. Do you have a particular name for this project?
It’s called abstract amateurism and inspired by Apple Music Top 100 Best Albums which was released in May. I had just finished a project using the new art style and needed an avenue for daily practice to help me go in-depth into the art style so that it becomes second nature. I fell in love with the rollout when it was announced by Apple so I decided to reimagine all 100 of the album covers art in my new art style just to see how my technique evolves over time. I set to doing one per day. It was hard and overwhelming, there were days I missed but I made sure to catch up and it eventually became my morning routine.
The aim of this project is to get better at my art, document my progress so that I can track growth, and prove to myself that I can do anything I set my mind to do and I did that.
How do you think this documentation will impact the art and music community at large?
The essence of the project is to show creative freedom and expression; and to encourage artists to just create without fear and overthinking. Create that thing you want to create and put it out. As artists, the greatest obstacle we have is ourselves. If you’re creating something to be true, then lead with that. Let it be true and the people it’s meant for will find it.
Has there been any surprising elements or moments during the creation of the pieces in this project?
Yes, this project has pushed me out of my comfort zone in ways I didn’t expect. Every time I open a blank canvas, I discover new things that I didn’t think possible, I’ve just been letting my creativity lead and teach me what to do. Sometimes, the work takes a different route from what I imagined and it’s just been a humbling experience so far.
Specifically, some of the album art were difficult to reimagine, there’s one by Snoop Dogg and another by Tyler, the Creator whose end product really surprised me because they were pretty challenging to achieve but I pulled through.
As artists and creatives, there often a tendency of dissatisfaction when a piece doesn’t portray the vigor as intended. How do you navigate this block?
I’ve learned to see it as positives rather than a challenge. While I’m very big on refining techniques, I also see it as part of the process because I’m not aiming for perfection in what I’m doing, that’s just one outcome in an infinite pool of outcomes– perfection is all well and good, but I’m creating art right now so that I can create the next one and so that I can create the next one after that. Every stroke, every finger and hand that I don’t get well is part of the process and I will keep doing it.
Are there any lessons you learned while working on this project? And how do you envision your career progressing in years to come?
I’ve learned that as an artist, we have a purpose and that is to create and when we are not creating, we start to feel imposter syndrome. When people experience imposter syndrome, they think it means they can’t do a specific thing but really, they feel that way because they haven’t proven to themselves that they can do that, not because they can’t actually do it. Usually, it’s the people who are competent enough that feel like they aren’t and this is because they’re not doing what, you know, they’re literally created to do. My purpose as an artist is to create and if I’m not creating, I’m not in a state where I can navigate life well and I need to be able to navigate life well. Creating is what helps and stimulates my mind to make sense of the world around me and to tell stories and say things that other people aren’t necessarily saying.
What matters most to you and why?
What matters to me most right now in my life are the people around me and also my art. My loved ones; friends and family who hold my hand and help me navigate this space called life. They keep me grounded and help me fulfil my purpose here which is to love and create.
