BioIdowu Sholanke is a painter whose practice sits at the intersection of Abstract Expressionism, Neo-Expressionism, and Art Brut. His work explores the multifaceted nature of being, blending emotional intensity, instinctive mark-making, and raw visual language to present complexity as a lived norm rather than an exception. He is drawn to the alchemy of color—its ability to awaken self-realization, vulnerability, fragility, and truth. His work lays bare the indelible aspects of human experience: the emotions and memories that cannot be erased, only confronted. Realism is not his pursuit. Instead, he seeks to evoke interior landscapes—those impossible, intimate spaces that exist beneath the visible surface.The human head recurs in his paintings as an armature—a vessel through which emotions enter and depart. He is fascinated by the borderless nature of feeling, by how it resists containment. The foreground and background dissolve into one continuous existence, reflecting the fluidity between inner and outer worlds. At times, emotions appear fleeting and untethered, floating without anchor or permanence, while the human archetype remains as a quiet point of reference.He later trained as a painter through courses at West Dean College, deepening my practice and refining my visual language.Through layered gestures and bold forms, Sholanke asks difficult, often uncomfortable questions inviting viewers into a space of confrontation, reflection, and authenticity. He trained as a painter at West Dean College, deepening his practice and refining my visual language.CV
Born 1980 in Lagos, Nigerian
Resides and works in England, UK
Selected exhibitions:
2026, O.S.D 3 (solo exhibition), Swindon, UK (Upcoming)
2025, O.S.D 2 (solo exhibition), Swindon, UK
2024, O.S.D 1 (solo exhibition), Swindon, UK
Education:
2007 – 2008: PgD, Conservation of Fine Metalwork, West Dean College, University of Sussex, Chichester, UK
2003 – 2007: BA, Archaeology and History of Art, Eastern Mediterranean University, Famagusta, North Cyprus
Contact Details:
Studio: Swindon, England, UK.
Email: Ishow2000@yahoo.com
Phone: +44 1793 430 238