Finding freedom through art: My journey as a self-taught Nigerian artist in London | The Guardian Nigeria News

For me, art has always been about freedom, not the absence of challenges, but the courage to build a life on my own terms.

I grew up in Delta State, Nigeria, where I discovered early on that drawing came naturally to me. While others struggled with it, I found joy and ease in it. Realising I had a gift, I began to self-study, teaching myself through practice until I was creating portraits for people around me. Portraiture gave me discipline, but I longed for something deeper, a bigger purpose for my art.

That search led me to Lagos, where I met artist Ken Nwadiogbu and worked with him under a residency-style programme. Through that experience, I was introduced to the art world for the first time and had several exhibitions in Lagos. It gave me the courage to see art not just as something I could do, but as something I could live. It was also around that time I realised art could be freeing, a way to express myself and explore emotions beyond portraiture that people could connect with.

Moving to the UK, my journey into freedom continued, though it was not easy. I worked jobs to survive while painting in between shifts, yet I refused to let go of my vision. That was when I developed my surrealist balloon-headed figures, which have since become my artistic language.

To me, balloons are more than playful objects: they symbolise fragility, resilience, and the act of rising. They remind me, and hopefully others, that even in our vulnerability, we have the ability to float and keep going if we allow ourselves.

Life, to me, is like a balloon carried by the wind. It can feel uncertain, even scary, knowing that at any moment it can drift or burst. But that is what makes it precious. That choice to keep going, to be anything and anywhere, is freedom. Through my work, I encourage people not to fear freedom, but to embrace it: to live, to create, and to go after their dreams boldly, because we only get one chance.

From Delta to Lagos, and now London, freedom and resilience have shaped not only my career but my philosophy of life. They are the threads that run through everything I create. And they are the messages I hope my work leaves behind: live fully, float freely like a balloon, and embrace the beauty of this one precious life, with all its challenges and possibilities.