Aralola Oladeinde

Ara Deinde (born Aralola Oladeinde) is a multidisciplinary artist living and working in Ibadan, Nigeria. Born in Lagos, he developed an early engagement with art through constant drawing and visual experimentation, a commitment that eventually led him to leave his studies in Agricultural Engineering in 2019 to pursue an independent artistic practice.

Ara was an artist-in-residence at KUTA Art Foundation in 2020 and 2021, an experience that significantly shaped his studio discipline and conceptual approach. His works have been exhibited in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States, and he has undertaken several notable painting and mural commissions. His practice has also been featured in publications such as Ake Review of African Art and Literature, Up the Staircase Quarterly Review, Peatsmoke Journal, and Insight Magazine. Drawing inspiration from artists including Toyin Ojih Odutola, James Grashow, Florian Baudrexel, Pablo Picasso, and Yayoi Kusama, Ara’s work reflects an ongoing interest in form, narrative, and the layered realities of contemporary life.

Solo Exhibitions
2022: Time Capsule, solo exhibition at Nest by KUTA, Abeokuta, Nigeria

Group Exhibitions
2025: Zomersalon Royaal: Amsterdam 750, CBK Zuidoost, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2025: +234 Art Fair, Ecobank Pan African Center, Lagos, Nigeria
2022: Young Masters Autumn exhibition, Cynthia Corbett Gallery, London, United Kingdom
2022: Mispredilections of Aboya, A Whitespace Creative Agency, Lagos, Nigeria
2021: People and places, Nimbus art gallery, Lagos, Nigeria
2021: Dis/Contented Realities, Urevbu Contemporary, Memphis, USA
2018: Support Creativity, Nest by KUTA (KUTA Art Foundation), Abeokuta, Nigeria
2017: Rasheed Gbadamosi Eko Art Expo, Eko @ 50, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria