This spotlight features Julius Agbaje. Julius Agbaje is a Nigerian activist and conceptual artist. He is a graduate of Painting from the distinguished Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, and regularly volunteers with NGOs, most notably The Arts in Medicine Projects, Lagos. Agbaje thinks of his creative process as a journal that documents his transition through life, his connections and interactions with other humans and human activities. His passion for justice and fairness and political freedom is often depicted in his art.

Agbaje uses his work as a tool for change, often satirising the political system and championing social change through his art. His works have been exhibited both locally and internationally. Afriuture (2018, Canada), 1st Nigerian Cultural Day (2019, Germany), Next of Kin II (2019, Lagos), Pride (London), Oreze VI (2017, Onitsha).

At the time of this interview, a solo exhibition of Julius Agbaje’s work is currently on display in Lagos, Nigeria.

View an e-catalogue of his works here.

What is your profession?

Visual Artist

Can you share a brief bio?

I am the last born of four children—a Painting graduate from Yaba College of Technology, Lagos. I am a full-time artist living and working in Lagos.

What time does your alarm go off?

I do not have one as I don’t do well with routine.

What do your mornings typically look like?

It’s usually a slow start to my days as I work very late into the night.

How did you get on this career path? 

I’ll say providence; I was redirected divinely.

Tell us what a typical day looks like?

I get out of bed, study my Bible and pray. I play some music and watch some YouTube, reply to messages and fix lunch. Yeah, I rarely eat breakfast. Then I either start creating, or I watch some Netflix and bond with my close-knit circle of friends.

Can you share some of your most memorable moments?
The manifestation of my first revelation from God and my first heartbreak.

What does the societal change mean to you?

Influencing positivity in one person with the hope that it would create some sort of domino effect.

What do you love most about what you do?

The amount of impact and influence that I can create.

What do you not like about what you do?

The nasty politics in the background and the lack of reward for quality and meaningful work until there’s some validation from the international community.

What do you do after work?

Netflix, Prayer or Playstation with Christopher, typically.

And what do you do at the weekends?

Saturday evenings are for Choir rehearsals and Sundays are for Church.

Who in the creative industry (globally) inspires you and why?

Michael Jackson was my biggest influence because of the sincerity of his art and how many lives he impacted with his music and life. Odun Orimolade, Yayoi Kusama, Ai Weiwei and recently Anselm Keifer for different things, but specifically for their wide range of expressions.

What does the societal change mean to you?

Influencing positivity in one person with the hope that it would create some sort of domino effect.

In your opinion, how can the creative industries contribute to social change/social cohesion/improve the Nigerian society?

Create more positive messages and make meaningful content  through music, movies and other forms of art.

If you were not doing what you are doing now, what career path would you be on?

Football or Fashion.