When Elders Watch, Chaos Bows


Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Board
Size: 16"x 20"
Date: 2025
Artist:  Matthew Medupin

This painting draws inspiration from the following Yoruba proverb; "Àgbà kì í wà l’ọjà, kó rī ọmọ tuntun wọ̀,” This literally translates to "An elder cannot be in the marketplace while a child's head is turned awkwardly."

This proverb emphasises the duty of elders to intervene when the young veer off course. In this work, I depict a child awkwardly twisted on the back of a woman, a symbol of societal care, while an elder figure watches. The distorted posture of the child reflects a world tilted by inexperience, misguidance, or neglect. The elder, calm yet present, embodies wisdom, responsibility, and the silent call to action.

In Yoruba culture, the marketplace represents communal life, a place where everyone sees and is seen. The idea that an elder should not look away when a child is in distress is a call for moral leadership, especially in times when the “market” of society feels directionless.
 
This piece is my little contribution, not only to Yoruba cultural heritage, but also a reflection on today’s world, where elders, those with wisdom and experience, are needed more than ever to speak, to guide, and to correct. I invite viewers to question: Are we watching, or are we intervening?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ogidi’s Quiet Wonder

Image
This painting, Ogidi’s Quiet Wonder, was inspired by a deeply spiritual and serene moment I experienced with my wife in Ogidi, Nigeria, in August 2019. It was around 8 p.m., and we were sitting on the front balcony of our countryside home, immersed in a quiet heart-to-heart conversation, when the moon suddenly rose and cast its luminous glow across Ayọnrọ Mountain. The sight stunned us—it felt like time paused, and the hand of God revealed a piece of heaven. I quickly took a photo, not wanting the moment to slip away. Upon returning to the UK, I translated that fleeting beauty into this 75 x 60 cm acrylic painting on canvas. Today, it hangs in my bedroom and is the first thing I see each morning—a daily reminder of God’s wonder and the grace to witness such beauty. "Beauty is the nature of God," and this piece is my expression of that truth.
Read more

The Heart That Birthed the Universe

Image
There are moments when a painting feels less like something I created and more like something that revealed itself to me. The Heart That Birthed the Universe is one of those moments. This piece came from a place beyond words—a deep, internal pulse I can only describe as cosmic. I didn’t set out to paint the universe. I didn’t plan the colours or the structure. I simply began with a feeling: a sense of something vast, silent, and full of energy—like a heart quietly beating at the centre of everything. The painting evolved around a central form: not quite a heart in the anatomical sense, but a symbolic one. Radiating from it are lines, threads, and bursts—forms that remind me of galaxies, particles, rays of light, or even the veins of time itself. I used a mix of white, red, gold, and darker tones to create contrast, motion, and mystery. To me, it feels like a moment of birth, of sacred expansion—the very beginning of something eternal. Looking at it now, I see my own journe...
Read more

Sanctuary of Learning

Image
Inspired by a quiet moment outside a school gate, this painting captures the grandeur of a historic building that once served as a medieval place of worship and now stands as a vibrant centre of education for over 1,500 pupils. The artist, moved by the architectural splendor and the building’s transformation from sacred sanctuary to scholastic stronghold, uses earthy tones and luminous crosses to honour its spiritual roots. Beneath a swirling, star-filled night sky, the structure becomes a symbol of continuity—where faith, knowledge, and legacy converge. This work invites viewers to reflect on how places evolve over time, yet remain deeply rooted in purpose and inspiration.
Read more