Artist’s Statement
Narcissism is what brought me here, I’d say. If we’re sharing. There’s something very
God-complexy about creating something. Not saying I’ve got a God-complex (not saying I don’t),
but what I am saying is art in any form of its being is grandiose. No matter how shitty the piece,
by combining a little bit of this and a little of that you’ve willed something into existence that
wasn’t there before. Some part of me likes the sound of that. The other part thinks that that’s narcissistic.
Most of my work is self-portrait. That’s the same big ‘ol eyes, crusty beard, and stupid little nose,
over and over and over again, filtered through whatever medium I can get my hands on...and that
sounds narcissistic. The other part of me isn’t sure. It might be me trying on hats, using art as an
excuse to sit down and spend some time with myself and reflect, bouncing thoughts around and
seeing what lands. After enough drawings I’ll find out who I am. Or it’s just narcissism. We’ll see.
Oba Olaniyi was born to a family of artists and raised in Fairfield, Iowa. Having done everything
possible to avoid becoming an artist here he is...a screenwriter and visual artist. Most recently
he made the album art for Boston based indie artist Maya Lucia’s latest EP, Lashing Out.
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