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Olaniyi Rasheed Akindiya [aka Akirash]

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Olaniyi Rasheed Akindiya, Igbeyawo [Marriage Ceremony}, 2015

Olaniyi Rasheed Akindiya
, known as Akirash, is an interdisciplinary artist. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, he majored in biochemistry until he heard his calling for art. He began to study fine art and applied art at the Institute of Textile Technology, Arts, and Design Oregun – Lagos State, Nigeria. He moved to the Republic of Benin after graduating in 1996 and, since settling down in Accra, Ghana, in 2001, he has traveled to many countries to feed his hunger for new ideas and techniques, taking part in seminars, biennials, workshops, and both solo and group exhibitions.


In 2000, he founded an art non-profit organization called ARTWITHAKIRASH and the intervention has contributed to the development of communities and allowed many women and children to get off the street. He allows the community to take control of his public art, believing the public will take care of the final result. His projects tend to incorporate performances to educate the community and share experiences.

His project has had a chain effect – children have returned to school, women have taken up creative jobs to take control of their lives, and communities share the knowledge gained and live better lives. 
  

Since 2011, Akirash has resided in Austin, Texas. 

Curriculum Vitae

EDUCATION  : 1992-1995 Institute of Textile; Technology, Arts & Design (ITTAD), Lagos,
Nigeria. Higher Diploma in Fine Art & Applied Art.


AWARDS/GRANTS/SCHOLARSHIPS/RESIDENCY
2012     Vytlacil campus, the student’s league for RUTH KATZMAN FELLOWSHIP RESIDENCY. NEW YORK - USA
    “      TRIANGLE ART ASSOCIATION RESDIENCY , NEW YORK - USA
    “       NAFASI/ ART SPACE INTERNATIONAL RESIDENCY FELLOWSHIP, DCCD. DANISH EMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM TANZANIA.
    “       INFECTING THE CITY FESTIVAL , CAPE TOWN SOUTH AFRICA
    “       THUPELO /BAG FACTORY INTERN. RESIDENCY, JOHANNESBURG SOUTH AFRICA
2011     NIROX PROJECTS/12 DECADE ART HOTEL, JOHANNESBURG-SOUTH AFRICA
    “       POLLOCK-KRASNER FOUNDATION GRANT- USA
    “       Art Farm Artists in Residency, Nebraska - USA
    “       Commonwealth Connection International Artists Awards United Kingdom
    “       VERMONT STUDIO CENTER, FELLOWSHIP ARTISTS IN RESIDENCY, Vermont – USA
    “       GLADSTONE GALLERY/STUDIO, TORONTO – CANADA
    “       CHF INTERNATIONAL GRANT GHANA.
2010     PHOTO TOURISM WORKSHOP,SPAIN EMB. ACCRA-GHANA.
    “       CCA LAGOS,TRIANGLE ,BRITISH MUSEUM ARTIST IN RESIDENCY, lagos-Nigeria
    “       Thami Mnyele foundation, Artists in residency, Amsterdam - Netherlands
    “       Go ingenious Award, Santa Monica CA, USA
2009     SANSA 3,TRIANGLE/BRITISH MUSEUM. Artists in Residency, Kumasi, Ghana   
2008      Artcroft, Artists in Residency, Kentucky – Chicago, USA
    “       Bluesky Art Project, Artists in Residency, McHenry County, Chicago, USA
2006     “GHANA MEET ETHIOPIAN” Accra - Ghana.
1995     BEST SCULPTURE from ITTAD Lagos – Nigeria.

AKIRASH INITIATIVE PROJECTS
2012    CHAP CHAP SCREPA, NAFASI ART SPACE, DAR ES SALAAM-TANZANIA
   “       UMOJA IN  MAIN STRET LIFE- JOHANNESBURG SOUTH AFRICA
2011    GEGE ARA: WONDERFUL BRUSHES, AUSTIN – TEXAS . USA
    “      LOST & FOUND WORDS, VSC, Vermont – USA
 2010   ART WITH AKIRASH bolgatanga- sirigu , Ghana.
    “      ART WITH AKIRASH, IN PSYCHATRIC HOSPITAL ACCRA- GHANA.
 2006   Art Therapist in the Psychiatric Hospital of Accra, Ghana
 2005   Mentor of upcoming craftsmen and artists in Accra, Ghana     
    “      Mentor for Students of Art from the University of New York Accra, Ghana
    “      Coordinator of the project “Arts and Aids”, Accra, Ghana; Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso;   Cotonuo, Benin; Lagos, Nigeria             
    “      Headmaster of the workshop “Art with Akirash”, Alexandria, Egypt
 2004    Cooperator for the “Arts and Aids Slide Talkshow” in Peru and India 

Solo Exhibitions
2015  ADDITU (PUZZLE) - The McKinney Avenue Contemporary (The MAC) - DALLAS - TX USA
2014  
Et כ Et כ [ENTANGLE] - Ro2 Art - DALLAS - TEXAS USA
2013   SIDE EFFECTS, COLAB PROJECTS SPACE –AUSTIN- TEXAS-USA
2012   UFAHAMU : INSIGHT, NAFASI ART SPACE, DAR ES SALAAM – TANZANIA
   “       ABAWON:STAIN FORECOURT STATION CAPE TOWN-S.AFRICA
   “       isiCelo: PETITION, NIROX FOUNDATION @ART ON MAIN. JOHANNESBURG- S.AFRICA
 2011   GEGE ARA: WONDERFUL BRUSHES, AUSTIN – TEXAS USA
   “       AFOKU JIGI: BROKEN MIRROR, Art Farm Nebraska - USA
   “       ITAN MI: MY STORY RED MILLS GALLERY (VSC) Vermont- USA
   “       EYIN GEDE:FRAGILE, Gladstone studio/gallery Toronto-Canada.
 2010   ASIKO : MOMENTS, Goethe Institute Accra - Ghana
    “      Frying pan 2 fire, Alliance Francaise, Accra – Ghana
 2008   Back to School, European Week, France & German Emb, Alliance Francaise, Accra, Ghana
    “      Black/White?, Goethe-Institut, Accra, Ghana
 2007   Lines into Shapes, Alliance Francaise, Accra, Ghana
    “      Quest and Question, Goethe-Institut, Accra, Ghana
    “      Glamour in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
2003    Arts and Aids, Ghana Museum and Monument, Accra, Ghana
    “      Akirash First Step, Ghana Museum and Monument, Accra, Ghana

Group Exhibitions
2013      PEOPLE GALLERY/CITY OF AUSTIN, AUSTIN- TEXAS, USA
2012      London International Creative Competition
2012     OPEN STUDIO AT VTLACIL CAMPUS OF THE ART STUDENTS LEAGUE, NEW YORK-USA        
   “        OPEN STUDIO @ TRIANGLE WORKSHOP NEW YORK.USA
   “        Infecting the city, cape town-south Africa
   “        PEOPLE GALLERY/CITY OF AUSTIN, AUSTIN- TEXAS, USA
  “         THUPELO/BAG FACTORY, JOHANNESBURG- SOUTH AFRICA
2011     ONEMINUTE  VIDEO AMSTERDAM/TOWN GALLERY. EGYPT
   “        SOVEREIGN ART FOUNDATION (JOBURG ART FAIR  SOUTH AFRICA)
   “        FAMILY UNITY OF THE WORLD,the Yekaterinburg Art Fund, Ekaterinburg-Russia
   “        Cca Lagos, Triangle Trust, British Museum. @ Stone house Otta –Lagos- Nigeria
   “        PAUSE THE PULSE :( PORTRAIT OF ACCRA), ACC Galerie Weimar-Germany
   “        Freedom to create prize, Singapore.
2008     Artcroft Residency, Kentucky, USA
   “        Nigth of Art, Bluesky Residency, Starline Gallery Harvard – Chicago, USA     
   “        KIC NORD ART, Büdelsdorf, Germany
2007     Migration, Virtual Residency, Völklingen, Germany

PERFORMANCES
  2013  OWO OWO EJE/BLOOD MONEY, COLAB PROJECTS SPACE, AUSTIN-TEXAS-USA
  2012  AHAN/TOUGUE, INTERNATIONAL MULTIMEDIA FESTIVAL,YAGON-MYANMAR
    “      EYIN LOHUN/EGGS ARE LIKE WORDS, VYTLACIL CAMPUS OF ART STUDENTS LEAGUE NY-USA
    “      PETEPETE ROFOROFO: LIVING IN MOULD, MWENGE/UNIVERSITY OF DAR ES SALAAM 2  
    “       ABAWON/STAIN ”2”: CAPETOWN STATION FORECOURT-SOUTH AFRICA
    “       EJE LEPO: BLOOD DONATION, BAG FACTORY/THUPELO, JOBURG-SOUTH AFRICA
2011     AFOKU JIGI/ BROKEN MIRROR: ART FARM, MARQUETTE-NEBRASKA
    “       BEHINDE THE MASK, LECTURE HALL, (VSC) Vermont- USA
    “       AYE ONI YO/ LIFE OF SALT, SCARBOROUGH – TORONTO, CANADA

PRESENTATIONS / VISITING ARTIST
 2012     THE COLLEGE OF STATEN ISLAND, NEW-YORK- USA
    “        UNVIVERSITY OF DAR ES SALAAM, DAR ES SALAAM-TANZANIA
    “        THE COLLEGE OF ART BAGAMOYO, BAGAMOYO- TANZANIA
    “       VAAL UNIVERSITY, JOHANESBURG–SOUTH AFRICA.
2011      YORK UNIVERSITY, TORONTO – CANADA
2010      NEW YORK UNIVERSITY GHANA, ACCRA- GHANA    


Selected Available Works
Contact gallery for complete availability and pricing
Ro2 Art  | 214.803.9575 | 1501 S. Ervay St., Dallas, Texas 75215 
Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. 
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