Victoria Makinde

Nigeria

"Love, they say, is unconditional, real, and strong—an intense feeling or deep affection that ought to be good, expressive, long-lasting if truly real. Oh, how beautiful it could have felt! My works are essentially a symphony of the love I desire for myself. Growing up, I had an appalling experience of love from my parents, which later affected my understanding of love as an individual. For my parents, their love life was almost like a nightmare, something that, as my mother would say, "I should have never married him." Maybe they weren’t meant to be, or they just couldn’t get along. The marriage was chaotic throughout, and we, as their offspring, bore the brunt of their shortcomings. My parents' marriage made me understand what it feels like to marry the right person—if one decides to marry at all. My story is just one among thousands of similar stories around the world.

I tend to use colors mundane enough to represent love in my works, such as rose red, yellow, purple, and other love-related colors. My works serve as a solace to my childhood experience of a marriage on the verge of collapse. I express myself through painting the opposite of the kind of love I grew up experiencing—the true meaning of love, as it should be. The expressions of my subjects are quite docile yet compelling, reflecting human reactions to true love and the emotions that follow. Telling my stories through art in this way has helped in the gradual healing process from my childhood traumas—a therapy—and also serves as a guide towards the kind of life I truly want as an individual.
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MEET

Victoria Makinde

Victoria Oyindamola Makinde, born on November 9, 1999, is a Nigerian oil painter known for her passion for fine art, which has been evident from a young age. Raised in Nigeria, she completed her National Certificate of Education (NCE) at the Federal College of Education in Abeokuta, Osiele, Ogun State. Further honing her skills, she undertook her industrial training (SIWES) in Ibadan, Oyo State. Now based in Lagos, Victoria continues to explore and express her love for art through her evocative oil paintings, contributing to the vibrant contemporary art scene in Nigeria.






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