Ara Deinde is a visual artist living and working in Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria. Born in Lagos, Ara took an interest in art from a young age, spending his time doodling in his school notebooks. He employs a diverse range of media to explore themes of identity, migration, memory, and fantasy.
Habouring a keen interest in many art forms, Ara is a very dynamic artist. His creative oeuvre ranges from abstract and figurative drawing and painting to furniture making, bookbinding, and creative writing. Through his interdisciplinary work, he has combined expertise across several creative fields excellently.
Ara was an artist-in-residence at KUTA Art Foundation in 2020 and 2021, during which he honed his painting craft to precision. The residency culminated in his first solo exhibition in 2022 in Nest by KUTA, Abeokuta, Nigeria.
His works have been exhibited in Nigeria, the UK, the Netherlands and the USA. He has executed several notable painting and mural commissions. He has also been featured in several publications, home and abroad, including Ake Review for African art and Literature and Insight Magazine by Fokus, New York. Ara cites Toyin Odutola Ojih, Sam Gilliam, Frida Kahlo, Pablo Picasso, and Yayoi Kusama among the influences on his work.