Ara Deinde is a visual artist living and working in Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria. Born in Lagos, Ara took interest in art from a young age, spending his time doodling in his school notebooks. He uses a diverse range of mediums to reflect on themes of identity, migration, memory and fantasy.
Habouring a keen interest in many art forms, Ara is a very dynamic artist. From abstract and figurative drawings and paintings, to furniture making, bookbinding, writing etc, He has applied himself to several creative fields excellently. He however favours painting and sculpture as his preferred mediums of choice.
Ara left his degree program in Agricultural Engineering in 2019 to pursue a career in the arts. He was an artist-in-residence at KUTA Art Foundation between 2020 and 2021, a time 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, UK and USA, and he has taken on several notable painting and mural commissions. He has also been featured on 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.