Lanre Buraimoh

Art work

He received his art training from his parents, Chief Jimoh Buraimoh and Alake Buraimoh, both celebrated contemporary artists well known in Nigeria and abroad. Lanre Buraimoh's artwork is inspired by the beadwork of the Yoruba people of West Africa, who have traditionally incorporated beads in their art forms and to decorate the crowns, shoes and walking sticks of their kings. Buraimoh's innovative pieces adapt this tradition to the more contemporary art form of "bead painting." His paintings are adorned with thousands of small, colorful glass beads that depict Yoruba objects and symbols, including drums and native drummers, masks, lizards, foxes and the Shankofa bird—a mythical bird with an egg in its mouth that is shown flying forward while looking backward. The egg "represents the knowledge of the past upon which wisdom is based and also signifies the future." Buraimoh's pieces also reflect traditional Yoruba beliefs related to love, entertainment and unity.