Untitled Document

Grunge Studios in association with Galerie Paname Stockholm
4th – 26th October 2008
DAMILOLA OSHILAJA

Grunge arte
With a sakaki branch in his hand, Damilola Oshilaja fills the canvas with vivid colours in amazing patterns. It seems simple and it appears as if the artist is performing a dance. This is Grunge Arte™; a school of art that transcends action painting, figurative art and graffiti into a new rich surface of "recycled white noise."

To Damilola Oshilaja Grunge Arte™ is nothing short of a revolution. It is a manifesto that announces the birth of a new art era, introducing ethics in policymaking strategies. "With the impetus to reallocate art as the prime forum of cultural, social and political significance, as well as elevating it to a new level in the 21st century, we have to raise the bar", the artist says.
   Damilola was born in London. His family originates from Nigeria. He studied business and accountancy, while developing his skills as a painter.
   In 1998 he initiated his career as a painter with a first exhibition of pastel and charcoal drawings at the King's Road Church Gallery in London. From then on he has proved his creative potentials in several other exhibitions in England as well as in Sweden where he was introduced to the audience in 2004 at the 21st anniversary of the Nôka International Theatre in Stockholm with the exhibition Birth of the New, Birth of the Cool; Prelude.
   In 1998 Damilola Oshilaja also established the Grunge Studios in London. His last exhibition in London was the much admired The Art Grunge Show in 2005 at the Empire Gallery. Shortly after the exhibition the Grunge Studios was burgled and vandalized. Every last piece of equipment and resource material was pillaged and only a few paintings were salvaged. Fortunately the disaster resulted in a new creative verve with a new production of works that now will be presented at the coming exhibition at the Galerie Paname in Stockholm in October 2008. Together with the salvaged series Golden Boy vs. the fairies from the dark side of the moon are also a selection of other works focusing on landscape and the digital world, two of the artist's main themes.

Exhibitions
1998 A selection of pastels & drawings Kings Road Church Gallery, London UK SOLO
2000 TAG Art Exhibition Imperial College, London UK GROUP
2000 073 Group Show 073 Gallery Westbourne Grove London UK GROUP
2001 Winter Group Show Apart Gallery Portobello Road London UK GROUP
2003 Winter Group Show Apart Gallery Portobello Road London UK GROUP
2004 Birth of the New, Birth of the Cool; Prelude Nôka International Stockholm SWEDEN SOLO
2005 The Art Grunge Show Empire Gallery Wadeson Street London UK SOLO

Collections
Nôka International Theatre
A&O Acquisitions
Jump Start Records
The United Nations Organisation/Kofi Annan
& various other private collections in the UK, Sweden and Japan