In the sixth season of Big Brother Naija (BBN) Shine Your Eyes, housemate Adeoluwa Okusaga (aka Saga) surprised viewers with his creation of a realistic pen drawing of his fellow housemate Boma. What most people don’t know is that the engineer and now social media influencer, has always had a passion for the arts, but is now turning this side hustle into a full-time profession.
His aim is to normalise discussions on emotional turmoil, mental health issues through his artworks, in addition to spreading good vibes and positivity to viewers of his works. His pieces range from realism to acrylic, oil painting and inked abstraction.
When Saga lost his mother in 2014, he suffered depression. Post the BBNaija show, he had felt a bit more depressed, what with the public constantly analyzing his every move, the comparisons to other celebrities, not to mention his personal issues, all got to him.
His art beyond being a source of escape, and emotional catharsis, he uses to address the ‘deep emotions we feel as humans.’
“I like to focus on mental health so people can know more about it, and speak about the deep emotions people go through, to understand how they feel. My paintings depict a bit of internal struggle and a bit of strife. The subject is often depicted trying to take off that veil (masking their pain) so they can be their authentic selves, or trying to take off their pain in order to heal.
“Some of my portraits also depict fearlessness and the willpower to push forward regardless of difficulties, others intense feelings of joy regardless of whatever hardships they face.”
He continued, “I can tell you almost everyone has felt depressed at some point, but nobody really talks about it. online and in the real world, we pretend to be strong. Nobody wants to reveal the pain buried within them. I am trying to expose that. because sadness is an emotion we experience sometimes, just like joy or happiness. When people understand that sadness, depression is a part of the cycle of life, that it is a phase, then they will give themselves permission to let it out, and not suppress it.
So, to create his pieces, Saga draws inspiration from himself and his surroundings. He literally feeds off the energy of the people around him while he is working, be it family or friends, from the late hour of 9pm to 4 or 5am.
“I don’t need them to pay attention to me, they can be doing their own thing while draw energy from them. I don’t want a studio where I’d close all the doors and windows and be by myself. I want people around me.”
Saga who took up art as a professional in 2016, has found himself trying to figure out his currently contradictory life circumstance – of being “new but not new; popular but not popular – at least in the arts circle he is cultivating.
“It feels like starting over, when I officially started in 2016. It’s crazy. Also, Big Brother Naija threw me out there into the wild, into the big stage, so I have that name, and it is a lot working with that.”
With the decision to become a full-time artist, he has paused his engineering career, and has been focusing his energy on evolving art and finding his style, since the past two years.
“I am not closing the doors completely on engineering, but I am focusing on my passion, testing the waters for now to see how deep it is. That alongside my work as an influencer. The past ten years you can’t just say you want to be an artist. Today, people are making good money from art. galleries are springing up everywhere and supporting young artists, signing them on, and selling works in dollars.”
Social media platforms he said, have provided artists the for their works to be viewed globally. “This is a good time to be an artist in Nigeria.”
Starting over has not been easy, as he strives to earn his place in arts profession, after paying his dues in a different discipline. He is however determined on his path – and taken some important steps.
“I held a sip and paint event early this year. I am having conversations with galleries at the moment towards a group exhibition sometime in April 2023.”
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