Osayi Osawe Turay on the past, present and future of his art

Interview by Chloé Heyart - Photography by Andrea Amponsah

“I just love the process, the hyper-focus. Painting almost feels like a sport, like I’m competing with myself,” muses Osayi Osawe Turay, surrounded by a selection of his pieces. We sat down with the Nigerian-born artist and dove deep into how his early life in Edo State carries over into his craft, the importance of movement in his practice and art as a universal remedy.

On (re)discovering his groove

Around 23 years ago, Osawe picked up drawing at the tender age of 2, encouraged by his cousin. It quickly became clear that he had a knack for art; “while other kids were addicted to games, I was addicted to drawing. My dad had to take away my notebooks and pencils so that I would go to bed,” he recalls.

It didn’t take long for him to realise that creating was his calling. “After years of drawing and discovering things like cartoons, I told myself, I want to do something with this. I want to be an artist,” he shares. Nonetheless, proudly wearing the title of ‘artist’ wasn’t evident. “I knew it was my purpose at a young age, but then you get older, and people tell you that there are only certain ways you can make money and all of that,” he explains. It wasn’t until the world shut down in 2020 that he found his flow again. “Millions of people suddenly had nothing to do, and I was one of them. After the first few weeks of stressing, I realised that I could keep on stressing, or I could use this time to create again. The weather was amazing, so I got a bunch of materials and painted on my balcony every day.”

Muses and inspirations 

Having grown up in Benin City, Osawe’s work is heavily influenced by his Edo heritage, the warmth of his motherland, and the vibrant colours that shape its landscape. “Nigeria is a very colourful place. My experience was colourful, my surroundings were colourful, everything was colourful. Colour just makes me happy,” he says. 

Besides his signature colour palette, the Amsterdam-based artist also likes to play with textures to add a supplementary layer of depth to his paintings. “I got inspired by the artist Vaughn Spann and started experimenting with it. Now, texture is a key element for me. I’ve been working with sawdust that I mix with paint,” he explains.

Osawe also draws inspiration from the women who shaped him, with his mother at the very forefront. “Before I left Nigeria, my mum told me, ‘Whatever you do there, be an artist’. That’s the best advice she gave me. She’s a person that moves out of passion. I was mostly raised by women, which is why I’m more comfortable drawing women than men,” he shares.

“Having people around me who were making amazing things from raw materials left its imprint on me. They were working with their hands, and I wanted to do the same thing. Now, I also work with my hands in a way.”

- Osawe

While traces of his upbringing are found all over his work, Osawe maintains that his daily life in the here and now influences him just as much. “Coming to Europe has shown me a different perspective on the art world and how artists here express themselves. I’ve been heavily inspired by my surroundings in Nigeria and my mother, but equally by the people I have around me now,” he tells us. From nature to fashion, architecture and wildlife, he finds inspiration everywhere.

Movement and music as creative stimuli

When Osawe paints, he doesn’t just take a brush to a canvas. “If I have a 9-hour painting session, I probably spend 3 to 4 hours listening to music and dancing, a good half hour of spiralling and wondering ‘is this right, should I put this here, should I use that colour’ and the rest of the time I paint.” He goes on to explain how music has always been important for his work and mentions musicians like Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane or Dorothy Ashby as inspirations. Instrumental jazz in particular allows him to tap into his flow, free of any distractions. “It’s just calming. I can hear the instruments, but I can also still hear my inner voice,” he says.

“The one thing that currently takes up the most space in my day-to-day life is movement. Movement as in dancing, working out - I’ve kind of become addicted to working out. I was in a downward spiral with my art and life in general, not knowing exactly what to do and where to put my thoughts so I just started going to the gym.”

- Osawe

A therapeutic form of self-expression

While making art allows Osawe to express himself creatively, it’s taken on a much bigger role in his life. “Painting is therapy for me, there’s nothing like it. The state of mind I enter, I don’t think I’ve ever had that with anything else. That’s why I’m in love with it,” he explains. Besides being a therapeutic refuge and a tool that helps him deal with life’s obstacles, it’s also a vulnerable extension of his thoughts. “I have a lot to share, but I don’t always know how to so my art does the talking for me. I let it speak for itself and people can interpret it however they want,” he adds.

“Creating brings out a different side in a person. Find a creative outlet to let out all the anger, sadness, and the happiness too. If you don’t, you build pressure in your body and it will rise all the way to your head. Finding a way to release all of this helps to reset the mind.”

- Osawe

Aspirations and embracing imperfection

Our conversation may have zoomed in on his art, but there’s more to Osawe as a creator. While painting is his main focus now, plenty of other creative disciplines continue to spark his interest. “Hopefully I can explore those in the coming years and find my way,” he says.  As for what he wants to leave behind; it simply is to “inspire other people to pick up creating.”

“I believe we are all creative in a way, but we live in a time where people shy away from it, maybe because we’re not all great at it. But you don’t have to be great. It took me a while to accept that my work might not be good right now, but that’s okay, it’s about learning. 

You don’t have to be a chef to cook for yourself, right? You cook for yourself because you want to eat something. If you don’t know how to make it, you look for a recipe and you find a way. Learning to leave the pressure of ‘Is this good or bad? Am I an artist or not?’ behind and focus on the playful, creative aspect helps.”

- Osawe

Discover more of Osawe’s work on his Instagram page, and keep your eyes peeled for his upcoming solo exhibition.