Wase Taiwo on Art’s Power For Self-Expression

To be an artist like Wase Taiwo, a multi-hyphenate who has become a formidable presence within Lagos’ rapidly expanding art scene, is to simultaneously straddle multiple realities. As an artist he leads an understated existence, ever lingering in the shadows, to allow his work to bask in the spotlight. His Instagram page, an eclectic collage, illustrates this in earnest. Among the sprawl of photographs that line his page are vivid shards of his interests. Sheet music. Random objects from his daily life. Vintage movies. A beat-down, rusting car. Potted plants. His essence is immensely palpable. He’s however conspicuously absent, save for a handful of blurred-out photographs. “I’m pretty much a ghost. The work speaks for itself,” he says when we speak over a Zoom call.  His life as a DJ in Lagos’ energetic nightlife scene, however, runs parallel to his art career, quite literally thrusting him into the center of the spotlight.

His paintings, sharply contrasted and surreal depictions in black and white, possess a simplicity that masks the evocative quality of his work. The spectral element of his personality is also very palpable in his art, shrouding the viewer in what feels like a fever dream filmed on VHS. Taiwo’s work is instantly recognizable for his distinctive scratchy lines, compositional fluidity, and experimentation with negative space. But his most beloved leitmotif is the winding spiral. It features on the faces of his subjects. On their eyes. As a pattern on their clothes and the draping behind them. The effect of these spirals is similar to those deployed by a hypnotist: they function to cement the dreamlike reality he invites his viewers into. The dreamscapes he conjures in his art issue directly from the range of imaginations that slosh around in his mind. For him, making art is less about making grand statements or pondering over existential questions than it is about expressing himself and exorcizing his demons. 

The Culture Custodian spoke to Wase Taiwo about growing up in Lagos, his journey into the world of art, and his distinctive creative approach.

The conversation has been edited lightly for clearness and conciseness. 

How was the experience of growing up for you? 

I was the quiet kid. I didn’t play sports, I wasn’t funny, I was very introverted. But I drew a lot, that’s where my love for art stems from. I also read a lot. When everyone was playing, I would be in my room reading or on the computer. I guess it reflects on my personality now.

With your art, you try to erect a shroud of mystique, essentially effacing your personality, so that the work comes first for the audience. But DJing requires you to be in the spotlight. How do you negotiate this contradiction?

I never thought I was going to be a DJ. It’s something that happened spontaneously: I got my first gig and I just kept on saying yes to offers. I couldn’t bring myself to say no. It’s genuinely rooted in my love for music, archiving, and finding new stuff. It also helps to have some other interest when I’m feeling stuck or bored of making art. 

It’s interesting because I spoke to Ayanfe, who’s also a visual artist and DJ among other things last year, and she essentially echoed the same thoughts. 

Yeah, I know Ayanfe. That’s cool. I went to one of her first exhibitions. Seeing her go to a different level was motivation that I could also be something in this space. 

As a kid, did you aspire to a career in art or did it happen spontaneously?

I intuitively knew that I wanted to be an artist, but I wasn’t planning on being an artist. As a Nigerian kid, there are just some things you can’t tell your parents you want to do. I have always been popular for being the art kid, from primary school through university, and my parents supported it, but they wanted it to be more of a side thing while I pursued a more viable career path. 

So, how did you officially get into art?

Everything changed for me during Covid. I was at home and wasn’t doing much. So, I started drawing more, almost all the time. I also started taking posting on Instagram seriously. I started growing, skill-wise and in terms of how aware people were of my work. Then, I started getting commissioned to make illustrations, little stuff. From there it just started growing. 

Your creative vista is very eclectic. You employ DJing, Visual Arts, and Graphic Design to express yourself creatively. What would you say informs your multidisciplinary nature?

I also make music. I play the guitar, most times for others, on their songs and for their performances, but this year, I want to start making personal music. I grew up in a very musical family. Everyone plays an instrument. I’ve tried my hands at several instruments, but the guitar has been the one that has stuck. To your question, I think it stems from inner curiosity, because I think the process of learning any skill is the same, or at least that’s how I approach it. Processes and routines don’t work for me, so I just approach things intuitively. 

In your art you experiment with line and form in interesting ways, creating pieces that bring to mind a visceral haunting dream. How did you create your distinctive style?

It was very spontaneous. Before Covid, I used to make regular landscapes and portrait paintings, but then I got bored and started doing the circles. It’s interesting that when people see it they have different feelings and opinions. 

The spirals that recur in your work have become a signature of sorts, what do they signify, how did you arrive at it and why do you deploy them in your art? 

I like to leave it open because it signifies different things to different people. When I started using them, I just thought it was cool. People always want things to be deep, but it’s not. Now I do more work with intent and there’s now a sort of meaning to it. It represents the life force. Almost like a symbol that says “This person is alive.” 

With your art, what are you trying to express or communicate?

I don’t think of people when I’m doing my work. Art is therapy for me. A lot of times I’m just trying to connect to things I found cool as a kid, to connect to that inner nostalgia. 

My favorite piece of yours is titled In The Midst of Sadness. It features three subjects shrouded in a pall of absolute darkness. The darkness feels so heavy, so final, like a black hole enveloping you in its gravity. It’s a perfect depiction of the mire of depression. What inspired it?

Your description is spot on. I’m not much of a writer. Most people journal their thoughts but for me making art is the best medium to express my thoughts and emotions. So with that piece, I was essentially trying to channel what I felt at that moment. It’s not like I’m a depressed person or that’s the kind of energy I carry around, but that was just what I was feeling at the moment.

What’s your favorite painting by yourself?

I don’t have a favorite, I love them all. 

If you could own any work of art in the world, what would it be?

Tough question. I guess a Moebius (Jean Giraud) art piece. He was a French illustrator and artist. I’m drawn to his works. They exist in a surreal dreamscape but are also still very detailed. I also like Egon Schiele, he was an Austrian painter. I looked up to in the early stages of my career. If I had his work, that would be sick. Basquiat too. I know everyone mentions him in these types of conversations but I like him a lot as a person.