Author: Oluwapelumi Shemuel

Shemuel is a lens-based visual artist and photojournalist who enjoys exploring, experimenting, and developing his own distinct viewpoint of the world as seen through his lens. He likes to write about creativity, innovation, art, and iconic artists. Shemuel is dedicated to using his voice to improve the world. He is constantly seeking out novel ways to make a difference.

The National Gallery of Zimbabwe is currently hosting the exhibition titled “Gathering”, by visual and performance artist Nothando Chiwanga until 2 September, 2023. Nothando’s artwork is deeply influenced by her personal experiences, reinventing everyday life. Her approach to portraiture, image making, and display, as well as her vivid and elaborate use of light, pose, and environment, present acts that are expressionist and performative in nature. Nothando Chiwanga’s portrait in one of her exhibitions, 2022 Voiceofnaija.ng’s Oluwapelumi Shemuel caught up with the Zimbabwe-based visual and performance artist working from Harare about her artworks, her background, and exhibitions. Congratulations on the video…

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LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – A truck has crushed an unidentified man to death around the Secretariat end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Voiceofnaija.ng’s correspondent who was at the venue of the incident on Monday, 10 July reports that the incident involved two trucks in a traffic. One of the trucks crushed the head of the victim, who was said to be underneath the second truck, attempting to fixed some issues with the tyres. READ ALSO: My Friend Died In Accident Moments After Asking His Children To Obey Their Mum – Man Reveals The incident reportedly occurred at about 5:31pm.…

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“Fighters are like prostitutes because they are in the business of ruining their bodies for the pleasure of strangers.” – Káyòdé Ólúwá Bla Bla Restaurant in Bamako, Mali, is currently hosting the artworks of Lens-based visual artist Káyòdé Ólúwá. Káyòdé’s quest for knowledge and belief that photography can be a medium of change focuses on ordinary people in their cultural setting, often captured in portrait format. Voiceofnaija.ng’s Oluwapelumi Shemuel spoke with the contemporary visual artist, who hails from Isale Eko and works from Lagos, about his artworks, created between 2015 and 2023. Káyòdé opens up about his creative process, and…

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KARA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – The festival of slaughtering and Sacrifice, popularly known as “Eid al-Adha” is celebrated around the world by Muslims faithfuls. One of the most important festivals is the Eid-al-Adha, observed on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijja, which is the twelfth and final month in the Islamic Calendar. It is the month in which the Hajj and Eid al-Adha take place. It is characterized, like the “Eid-al-Fitr”, the second of two great Islamic festivals, where recitation of communal prayer (Salat- Eid-al-Adha) at sunrise. Eid-al-Adha- Ram, Salah Ram, 2023, Photograph by: Oluwapelumi Shemuel Eid-al-Adha celebrates Prophet…

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LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) — I’ll walk you through each of the seven components of visual art. You can choose one or more of the suggestions below as a starting point to continue exploring visual art on your own. I’ve got a test for you. Find an artist whose work you genuinely like. Take a look at one or more of their pieces of art and consider how the seven elements apply to them. Describe the artist’s use of the various aspects in a diary or essay. Do they avoid any in particular? How do those components combine to produce excellent…

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LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – After his covert mission in Afghanistan is exposed, a CIA agent finds himself trapped in hostile territory. He must engage enemy combatants while being accompanied by his translator as he fights his way to a Kandahar extraction site. https://youtu.be/0r6-YSKzKf4 “Kandahar” (2023) / 120 minDirected by Ric Roman Waugh, with Gerard Butler, Travis Fimmel, Navid Negahban “Kandahar” is in the center of the human right and geopolitical issues plaguing the Middle East. The plot has a CIA agent trying to escape Afghanistan with his translator after their cover was exposed. As several groups attempts to capture…

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LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – I’m going to share a few movies with you that you should stream if you’re a visual artist, especially when you’re bored. Many of the movies you can watch right now are inspirational, artistic, and entertaining, with excellent production elements like production design, cinematography, etc. They range from period dramas examining the lives of famous painters to exploratory documentaries to drama, horror, comedy, and romance films centered around artists and artworks. I’ve included my top seven iconic movies that I believe every artist should stream as soon as they feel uninspired or bored. Therefore,…

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LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) — You know, a lot of people think that practicing creativity or being an artist is crazy.  You don’t feel comfortable with it, as I can attest from personal experience. I didn’t feel at ease referring to myself as an artist. I still struggle with it occasionally. How do you define artistic expression? I’ll have to don a beret as a result. Does that imply that I’ll never, er, earn any money again? Does that imply I’m making a mistake of some sort? You know, it’s peculiar because I think there are so many different ways to…

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LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) — To a visual artist eager to experiment with codes and algorithms, it has the same potential for creativity as a paintbrush or a camera or other creative tools.  Here are “four stories” that demonstrate that beauty has no bounds when visual art meets technology. You can observe a conversational interaction develop when an interactive artwork engages viewers. Until those interactions are permitted to take place, the artwork has not really been fully realized. The first story is that of Janet Eckelman, a visual artist from Brookline, Massachusetts in the United State, who uses sculpture, form, and light to enhance society. …

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LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) — We should take care of our health because we sit much more frequently now than we used to, which is bad for us. In this article, I want to offer some advice on how to safeguard your health as a visual artist. All of the suggestions I’ll make are things I already do or am attempting to do. When we create, it’s easy to start with the wrist, especially if they are small details, but even with big tasks, the best thing is to not damage your wrist in the long run, as in the…

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