Lamidi O. Fakeye

Lamidi O. Fakeye (1928-2009) was a renowned Nigerian woodcarver whose work spanned from the colonial era to modern times (1938-2009). He was born in Ila-Orangun in Osun State in southwestern Nigeria, the fifth generation in a family of carvers. From 1948-1954, he became apprenticed to Bamidele Arowogun who worked in the Oye-Ekiti Workshop, which was managed by Irish Roman Catholic Priests Kevin Carroll and Sean O’Mahony. The workshop was founded to pursue the “concept of ‘Inculturation’ which was ‘creation of indigenous Christian art, thereby helping a person, through artistic expression, to figure out how to be a Christian and an African at the same time’ (Bridger,2009:108). “During the workshop, Lamidi created works for both Christian and [indigenous Yoruba West Africa] Orisa religious needs as the occasion demanded while exploring longstanding art forms of Igbomina and Ekiti styles” (Edewor 2018). Beginning in 1962 he was named artist-in-residence at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI, USA. He was later appointed to the Faculty of Arts, University of Ile-Ife, Nigeria, in 1978. In 1996 and 1999 retrospective exhibitions of his work were held respectively at Hope College in Holland, MI and at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Lastly, Fakeye was named a UNESCO Living Human Treasure in 2008. His personal style encompassed both traditional and modern influences, featuring detailed decorative motifs on hair and clothing that was contrasted by the simplified forms and broad facial planes of the figures.