Olubukola Bolarinde: An Architect Breaking the Norms

I’m telling a story about our culture, people and land

During the lockdown period of the pandemic in 2020, self-taught artist and architect Olubukola Bolarinde found herself reflecting on her artistic expressions. For years, the artist has nurtured her arts for passion which she evinced at a younger age. At one point, she dared to showcase her work at the Nike Art Gallery. The intention then was to evaluate the public’s perception of her art. The feedback was mostly favourable and by 2018, she established Yellow Dot Limited, a leading creative curation/production company. Bolarinde’s goal was to bridge the gap in the creative industry where many are lost in the pool of talents. Through her outfit, artists and other creatives found an avenue to showcase their talents. That same year, she produced the critically acclaimed film ‘Onidiri’.

Due to her insatiable appetite for art pieces — she collected artworks from Ghana, the UK, the USA, Nigeria and anywhere else her feet touched — Bolarinde began curating for other artists. However, she never abandoned her dream to give the world an exclusive peek into her creativity. After all, it was through her art that her career in architecture was launched. She was admitted into the Welsh School of Architecture at Cardiff University, Wales where she obtained a graduate degree based solely on her art portfolio. She proceeded to obtain her masters in Environmental Design and Engineering at Bartlett School of Architecture in University College, London (UCL).

“I came back to Nigeria to start in-practice as an architect with a firm called James Cubitt Architects in Lagos for about four years,” she said on a recent morning in her office at Wing Towers in Lagos.

“While I was at James Cubit Architects, I was seconded to Standard Chartered Bank. So, that started my foray into the banking industry and understanding of the full work of the bank. I worked there as a project manager, setting up branches from start to finish, designing for the bank in Lagos, Port Harcourt and at a time, Abuja.

“My background in architecture informed my decisions, my precision and my ability to deploy my responsibilities as a project manager. So that helped, I learnt a lot on that job, my skills in project management, construction manager, and cost management, I took all of that and forayed into the project management field. I did not go into full-time architecture practice but in the oil and gas industry.

“I was employed by Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited, a leader in the downstream sector at that time. The owner of Zenon was looking to diversify all the earnings into real estate and that was where I came in first as a property manager. The portfolio grew significantly and it had to be created into a full-fledged subsidiary called FO Properties Limited and I was appointed managing director of that company.”

She is currently the Head of Real Estate and Facilities Management (REFM) Nigeria, and Regional Head of REFM Performance for Ericsson Limited in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Looking fashionable in resplendent flowing attire, Bolarinde proceeded to tell the story of how the lockdown boredom led her to conceive the idea of her forthcoming exhibition. It was a moment for her to reflect and take the bold step to having her solo art debut. Driven by contentment and courage, taking such steps required her to give her best. Therefore, with her attention to detail and penchant for excellence, the corporate professional is throwing everything in the ring to give guests an immersive experience.

The exhibition titled ‘106 Expressions’ and curated by Nike Davies-Okundaye is a first-of-its-kind featuring 85 artworks and two fashion designers who will showcase 10 fabrics each on the runway and will be held on a construction site. According to her, she is breaking the conventional norms to give people a unique experience.

“There will be 106 exhibits at the exhibition,” she said, breaking down the process.

“There will be 85 pieces of visual artworks with different media: oil on canvas and acrylic on canvas, which will be exhibited in conventional style. Being creative, any way I can look, to break the barriers of convention is what I am looking for because art should transcend beyond putting it on a medium, hanging it up and letting people come and observe it like conventional style. So, that is why I am spinning my art into original exclusive fabric. 

“I am partnering with two fashion designers for 10 pieces each, two collections with two distinct pieces of my art. We are going to have a fashion segment at the event where they will showcase two collections each with 10 pieces going down the runway.

Those 10 each, added to the 85 make it 105. But the 106th exhibit is the event itself, which I have curated from start to finish. It is an event like no other; an event that has not happened before in Nigeria,” she enthused.

Her choice of venue, she said, is drawn from her natural habitat as an architect which is the construction site.

“For the first time, I am staging an exhibition in such a venue and I am building it from scratch. It is the first of its kind in Nigeria to host such a show on a construction site; in an uncompleted building and I am bringing people and immersing them into an experience that elsewhere did not exist.

So, that immersive experience, walking from start to finish at Eko Atlantic City is the 106th exhibit.”

But the title of the exhibition goes beyond the number of works on display. It is a play on her birthday which is June 10. The event is also scheduled to take place on that day. 

“My birthday is very significant to me and I have always celebrated it. People close to me know that I don’t joke with my birthday; I try not to work on my birthday. I take the day off because it is time for me to reflect, enjoy the day and thank God for seeing another milestone. So, it is a day that I celebrate its entirety from the start to the end of that day. So, 106 is a significant number that jumped out on me,” she explained.

Through the exhibition, Bolarinde hopes to tell the African story which traversed time and culture. 

“I‘m telling a story about our culture, people and land. When you look at my artwork, it is all an African story; there is a story in every single one. All of my background and influences fuse into my art and translate into my pieces.”

Some of the paintings on display are drawn from her childhood experiences. 

From Ekiti State, Bolarinde hails from the home of Fabunmi, the propagator of the Kiriji War. Her mother however is from Ibadan, Oyo State. Although she was born in Lagos, her formative years were in the North.

“I went to secondary school in Jos and was there for six years. From Jos, I went to Kaduna for a pre-degree course. I then spent another year in Zaria, Ahmadu Bello University; that was where I had the training that prepared me for my career in Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning. I was immersed in the culture of the North, and I speak two indigenous languages: Hausa and Yoruba.”

Her understanding of northern Nigerian culture is reflected in paintings such as the Wusasa.

“Zaria is predominately a Muslim city and in those days when we were there, we were told never to walk into Zaria city without covering our hair. It is forbidden, you can’t walk in with trousers as a woman, we were always fascinated by that and beyond the walls of Zaria city is the Emir’s Palace.

But outside of Zaria city, you have Christian communities and there is a town called Wusasa, which is part of the places where I grew up. In the centre of Wusasa is this mud building that looks like an ancient castle, but it is a church called St. Bartholomew. 

“You know Kaduna has a long history of religious crises resulting in killings and very gory situations and there was one of such crises when all the churches were set ablaze and St. Bartholomew was also set ablaze but the building never burnt down; it is still standing till today and it is at the central piece of my exhibition. 

“So, I did a tribute to St. Bartholomew. I almost even moulded St. Bartholomew to show the rustic nature. I brought the roughness and texture that you can almost feel, touch it and you are there. It tells you that story and transports you to Wusasa.”

Other paintings that will evoke similar effects according to her include images of Makoko at night, Eyo, Christ Church Cathedral and Durbar among others.