I longed for your presence 1 Painting

BIOGRAPHY A blossom from a tickle of art, Joel Arueyawa, born in Lagos, Nigeria, is an indigene of Ughelli-North Local Government in Delta State, Nigeria. His love for art at an early age spurred him to apprentice at a small art studio, where he learned some of the dynamics of art. He had a clear sense of his journey and went on to study general art at the prestigious Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State, Nigeria, specializing in painting As can be seen in all of Joel Arueya's paintings, he draws inspiration from his love of patterns, colors, lines, and textures. His works foster deep undertones that are highly conceptual, mood-driven, and message-led, using symmetric and asymmetric lines to convey his thoughts, feelings, and emotions. In his practice of ten (10) years, Joel has been able to build on the foundation of acquired skill sets to refine and fine-tune his skills to appeal to a robust caliber of people. Several prominent people, both locally and globally, appreciate his work. His participation cuts across several group exhibitions and art auctions in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. His participation and achievements include Marcel's Attic Art Auction (UK) in (year), SOGAL Art Auction (Nigeria) in (year), Terra Kulture My Drum Auction House (Nigeria) in (year), and several others. He has had two solo exhibitions, the first sponsored by Guaranty Trust Bank, Nigeria, in (year), which featured highlights of his recent works at the Oasis Lounge, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Nigeria. His second solo exhibition was sponsored by Amg Projects and Artsy tagged "Artsy Joel Arueya's Solo Exhibition ‘MAGIC’, in 2022. He also participated in a two-month art residency at "Kunst Asyl Art Residenz, Quedlinburg, Germany. His works have been featured at the Otto Gallery (US). Also a feature in one of Sterling Bank’s advertisements to emphasize their love and regard for culture and creativity in a mix of spoken words. He was one of the few artists chosen by the Lagos State Government, led at the time by Akinwunmi Ambode, to participate in a brainstorming session to consider additional methods to enhance the state's aesthetics.