Exhibition Dates: April 1 - May 31, 2024

Reception: March 30, 5-8pm

The Bernice Coulter Templeton Gallery is proud to present “A Vivid Representation: Figures of Artless Expressions” a show by Dare Akinwole. The exhibition presents a series of emotive figurative paintings presented through a vibrant color palette, curated composition, and soft texture. With the alluring technique of sfumato, Dare draws the viewer into the sphere of the painting before they are met with intensity of the content - curated through a tableau vivant composition. Dare's vibrant colors are a homage to his Yoruba-Nigerian heritage. In the Yoruba culture, vibrant colors are a big part of the visual language as evident in the numerous festivals and ceremonies. His brush strokes are a deliberate juxtaposition to both the flatness of the background - in the paintings - and the harshness of its content; to make it more palatable without needing to soften the content. With his aesthetic and compositional choices, - along with his experiences in the western world (as an African American) Dare creates visually emotive paintings to captivate the viewer’s attention and stir up a lasting state of emotional ponder.

Dare Akinwole is a Nigerian American visual artist currently based in Dallas, Texas. With a bachelor’s and master’s degree from West Texas A&M, Dare has been painting for over a decade focused on figurative paintings. Dare’s paintings are influenced by his Nigerian background and his experiences in the west; absorbing the artistic cultures of Lagos, London, Berlin, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Utrecht, and numerous cities in the United States - where he currently resides. Dare’s figurative work is -both- a reaction to his internal struggles as an artist and the artistic status quo. Dare’s paintings are rich and complex; rendering figures in a curated tableau-vivant of strong emotions with vivid colors and an intricate brush stroke that he has mastered over the past decade. His vivid colors are a nod to his Nigerian Heritage. Dare has made Dallas, Texas his home where he creates his vibrant paintings from his studio in North Dallas.