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The evening of 6th February 1987 was just another day on my way back from Silsoe. It was a Friday, and Tọpẹ had left her foster parents in Bedford as soon as Grace started her maternity leave. I was rushing home, looking forward to seeing my little daughter. I was also very hungry and exhausted and could not wait to have my dinner. As I was about to put the key in the keyhole to open the door, I noticed that a note had been stuck to our front door. It was dark, so I could not read it properly. I removed it and moved to a place where there was light. It was Grace’s handwriting. She said she had gone to the hospital and that I should go to Akinola’s house—another family friend’s house on the next block—to bring Tọpẹ back home. Akinọla, the first son of one of our Nigerian neighbours, Dr Ọduntan, now deceased, was a few months older than Tọpẹ.  At first, I was nervous. I did not waste any time and went straight to check on Tọpẹ. I met Mrs Ọduntan, who explained that Grace...

In Heart of the Cosmos, I sought to capture the eternal pulse of creation,  the unseen rhythm that binds the universe together. The blazing red core represents the primal energy of existence, a living heart beating within the vastness of space. Around it, waves of blue, violet, and golden hues swirl in cosmic motion, suggesting both turbulence and harmony,  the eternal dance between chaos and order. This painting is a meditation on the origin of life and the mystery of what lies beyond our comprehension. It invites the viewer to imagine that within the immense stillness of the universe, there is always motion. Within silence, a sound. Within darkness, a living light.

In the natural course of political order, Hon. James Faleke should have rightly assumed the mandate following the sudden and unfortunate passing of Prince Abubakar Audu, which occurred shortly before the formal announcement of the 2015 Kogi State gubernatorial election results. However, providence redirected the outcome in favour of Alhaji Yahaya Bello, who emerged as governor despite neither contesting nor winning the said election. Such is the inscrutable nature of divine will, beyond the reach of human comprehension. Having completed his constitutionally allowed two terms in office, Governor Bello understandably exercised the privileges of incumbency to install his preferred successor, thereby seeking to consolidate his political influence and preserve his legacy. Hon. Faleke, though deeply aggrieved by what was widely perceived as a political injustice, pursued redress through all legitimate and constitutional channels. When these efforts yielded no tangible result, ...

This is my impressionist artistic representation of Ipowu Mountain in Ogidi, my ancestral birthplace. According to Chief Alphonsus Abiǫdun Ẹhindẹrọ, the Oliha of Ogidi and Baalẹ of Idawẹrọ, Ipowu Mountain is believed to be the highest point in the Kukuruku Highlands, and possibly in both Kogi and Kwara States of Nigeria, with an estimated elevation of about 2,500 feet. Historically, the mountain served as a strategic natural defence during the Nupe invasion across the River Niger, an incursion largely seen as a reprisal against the Yoruba communities of the Kabba Province in Northern Nigeria for halting their annual tribute of slaves to the Nupe Emirate of Bida. The war ended in 1886. During the conflict, the people of Ogidi sheltered their non-combatant population, including women, children, the elderly, and the wounded, on top of Ipowu Mountain. The summit, with its fertile and resilient soil, sustained them through that difficult period. Its broad, flat rocky s...

“Rise and Fall of Colour” is a visual symphony of movement, emotion, and reflection. In this work, I sought to capture the energy of life’s ever-shifting rhythm - the moments of ascent filled with vibrancy and hope, and the quiet descents where colours fade into introspection.  Each stroke and blend of pigment represents a surge of feeling, a fleeting instant in time where passion, struggle, and renewal coexist. The layered composition and mirrored form suggest a world in constant flux, much like human experience itself — where joy and sorrow, creation and dissolution, rise and fall in an endless cycle.  The work invites the viewer to pause within the “rush,” to see beyond the surface of colour into the emotional undercurrent that drives it. “Rush of Colour,” embodies the spontaneity and intensity that define my creative process. I paint instinctively, allowing colour to lead the way — not merely as a visual element, but as a living expression of thought, memor...

  🎨 Artist Dashboard — Artxade Prints 🖼️ Recent Paintings 📈 Blog Overview Total Posts: Total Views: Followers: ⚙️ Quick Links ✏️ Manage Posts 📄 Manage Pages 📊 Google Analytics 🏠 View Blog Homepage 📅 Upcoming Exhibitions London Art Fair — January 2026 Online Winter Showcase — March 2026 Spring Abstracts Exhibition — May 2026 💡 Inspirations & Reflections “Life is never over until it’s completely over — every dawn is another canvas waiting to be filled.” Read Artist Statements → © 2025 Matthew Adekunle Medupin — Artxade Prints

Sometimes the road we travel is anything but straight. Yet within its twists and turns, we find the true colours of life’s journey. Life is not a straight line leading from one blessing to the next and then finally to heaven. Life is a winding and troubled road. This thought stayed with me a few years ago when I painted this abstract composition. I was thinking about how life often unfolds in ways we don’t plan, full of turns, surprises, and moments that test our faith and resilience. Yet, within that winding path lies the real story of who we are becoming. In this painting, the colours seem to clash and flow at once, much like our emotions when life pulls us in different directions. The contrasts of light and dark, smooth and rough textures, speak of struggle and renewal, uncertainty and grace. The Winding Path reminds me that beauty can exist in broken lines and uncertain routes. It tells me that meaning often emerges not from what is perfect, but from what we endure and ...

This painting was inspired by my ongoing thoughts about human nature, power, and the ideals we strive for as societies. As I worked through its layers of colour and contrast, I found myself returning to the ancient voices of Socrates and Plato, whose ideas about justice and governance still echo powerfully today. I have often reflected on how Socrates’ skepticism about democracy profoundly influenced Plato’s vision of an ideal society. Living under the Athenian democracy that ultimately condemned him to death, Socrates questioned the wisdom of entrusting power to those lacking knowledge, discipline, and moral understanding. Plato, deeply moved by his teacher’s fate, developed these concerns in The Republic, where he imagined a just society governed not by the whims of the majority, but by philosopher-kings—leaders guided by wisdom, reason, and truth. Yet, despite the flaws inherent in modern democracy and the growing divisions brought about by today’s identity politics, I...

Medium: Acrylic paper Size: 12" x 16" Date: 2024 "Whispers of the Setting Sun" captures the fleeting moment when the sun surrenders its final light to the evening. The golden sky reflects upon the still water, creating a luminous pathway between day and night. It's a quiet reminder of life’s transitions. The lone tree stands as a witness to the passing of time, its leaves gently illuminated by the fading glow. In this work, I sought to express the intimate dialogue between light and shadow, between presence and departure. The warm hues of the sky blend into the cool greens and blues of the foreground, echoing the balance between hope and reflection that comes with the end of each day. Like much of my work, "Whispers of the Setting Sun" is born out of a deep connection to nature’s silence where colour speaks, and stillness becomes the language of the soul.

This painting is my visual interpretation of the traditional Yoruba story of Agbalọwọmeri: “the one who takes from those who have nothing.” Shortly after Nigeria’s independence, in a bustling town that symbolised the nation’s newfound freedom, hope filled the air. The people believed that life would surely be better now that colonial rule had ended. But beneath that optimism lurked a familiar shadow, greed, this time dressed in native robes. At the centre of the story stood Mr. Ade Agbalọwọmeri, a newly appointed local officer: educated, well-spoken, and proudly robed in his fine agbada. On the surface, he embodied modern progress; in truth, he was the very picture of corruption. He lived by a simple rule: no one received anything without paying something. From market women seeking stall permits to young men yearning for government work, Agbalọwọmeri collected his “fees.” His name soon became proverbial: “Agbalọwọmeri ni gbogbo ìlú n bẹ̀rù rẹ̀” — “the one who takes from t...

As an artist, I have always been fascinated by the forces that shape how we live, think, and create. My paintings often explore open spaces, light, and the shifting boundaries between nature and human experience. In many ways, our world today is undergoing a similar transformation, one where technology and artificial intelligence are redrawing the boundaries of society itself. In this essay, I reflect on the fading relevance of the old systems of capitalism and socialism, and on the need for a new, more human-centred approach to the digital age. It is a call to look beyond ideology and to rediscover the simple truth that every system must, at its core, serve humanity. The old definitions of capitalism and socialism belong to another time. They were born out of the industrial age when the sources of wealth were material covering land, factories, machinery, and physical labour. Those systems made sense when the world was measured by what could be built, mined, or manufactured...

Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Board Size: 20" x 16" Date: 2025 This painting is inspired by the Yoruba proverb “Ilé la ń wò sọmọ lorúkọ,” which translates to “It is the home we look at before giving a child a name.” The proverb reminds us that a child’s identity is deeply rooted and shaped by the home they come from, the values, love, discipline, and moral foundation instilled within the family. In this work, the red landscape represents the essence of life, the bloodline and heritage that flow through generations. The winding white path connects homes and figures, symbolising continuity, ancestry, and the passage of values from one generation to the next. The woman and the child at the forefront embody the nurturing relationship through which identity is formed, while the faint figure near the smaller hut stands as a soul awaiting definition, a life yet to be shaped by its home. The lone tree with red leaves signifies growth rooted in tradition, and the serene ...

Painted this even with my blurry left eye while recovering from cataract surgery, this work is both a therapy and a testimony. It is a reminder that nothing can stop us from doing what we love without our permission. Against the backdrop of a fiery sky, the humble huts and trees stand resilient, reflecting quiet strength and endurance. The interplay of light and shadow mirrors life’s duality showing moments of darkness giving way to the radiance of hope.  Each brushstroke became an act of healing, reaffirming that the creative spirit remains unbroken even in times of vulnerability.

Reflection captures a haunting yet beautiful interplay between fire, nature, and memory. In this expressive composition, three trees stand along a fiery horizon, one full and textured, another bare and skeletal, and a smaller one between them, each embodying different stages of life and transformation.  Vivid reds and oranges evoke the intensity of flames consuming the land, while their mirrored reflections in the still water below create a striking contrast of calm beneath chaos. The tranquil blue sky above and its reflection at the bottom suggest the persistence of serenity even amid destruction. Through bold brushwork and layered colors, the painting explores themes of renewal, fragility, and the cyclical nature of existence. The reflection below symbolises introspection, a reminder that what lies beneath the surface often holds both the scars and the beauty of lived experience.

         Acrylic on Canvas | June 13, 2019 This painting marks the artist’s first venture into abstraction, a visual meditation on the birth of order from disorder. Through vigorous strokes of red, blue, black, and flashes of white, the work captures the restless energy of creation itself. What at first appears chaotic gradually reveals an underlying rhythm, as if beauty is quietly negotiating its way through confusion. The composition reflects a philosophical truth: that harmony is not the absence of turmoil but its transformation. In the thick interplay of colours and textures, we witness the struggle of opposing forces finding balance, darkness yielding to light, motion giving shape to stillness, and chaos unfolding into order. Painted with instinct and emotion, this work stands as both a personal awakening and a timeless statement, that even in life’s most turbulent moments, something meaningful and beautiful can emerge.

There comes a time in life when one begins to measure wealth not by possessions, but by peace, not by how much one has, but by how freely one can live and create. As a Nigerian-born British citizen, I regard it as a profound privilege to spend the final quarter of my life in a society that allows one to seek meaning beyond mere survival. It is a rare blessing to dwell in a place where the environment itself seems to encourage reflection, creativity, and the quiet rediscovery of self. Here, life opens its many doors to those willing to explore, the rhythm of dance, the meditative strum of a guitar, the gentle patience of knitting, the tactile wonder of clay, the calm of painting, the mindfulness of walking, the inward journey of yoga, or the still unfolding of the soul in spiritual contemplation. For those drawn to movement and open spaces, there are pursuits that blend grace and vitality, the swing of a golf club, the spirited rally of table tennis, the precision of lawn...

This painting is inspired by a photograph I took at 19:03 on August 15, 2019, in my country home of Ogidi-Ela, Nigeria. The moment captured was one of quiet transition, when daylight slowly yields to darkness, and the land seems to breathe in silence. I was moved by the soft glow that lingered over the valley and the dark silhouettes of trees standing against the fading light. In my work, I often explore the interplay between memory, time, and the natural environment. Ogidi-Ela represents my roots, the landscape of my adolescence, and a source of enduring inspiration. The layers of colour and contrast in this painting reflect not only the physical terrain but also the emotional depth of my connection to the place, the harmony between serenity and mystery that the evening light revealed. Through this piece, I seek to preserve the spiritual calm and timeless beauty of the rural world that shaped me, a reminder that even as the light fades, a quiet power endures beneath the ...

Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Board Size: 20" x 16 Date: 2025 Artist: Matthew Medupin Inspired by the hymn “Alleluia! Raise the Gospel over the Earth. Peace and justice bringing to birth,” this painting unites spiritual symbolism with expressive colour to celebrate the light of divine truth shining upon humanity. At its heart stands a radiant red cross, glowing with golden light that bursts outward in waves of energy, signifying the boundless reach of Christ’s love. The golden drips flowing from the cross suggest grace descending upon the world, while the open book beneath it represents the living Word, truth revealed and shared across all nations. Below, the earth emerges in bold strokes of blue, green, and white, capturing the vitality and diversity of life. The union of these vibrant forms and sacred symbols transforms the canvas into a vision of peace, renewal, and spiritual awakening.  Through colour and light, "Raise the Gospel Over the Earth" portray...

A crimson sky descends over the mountains as the sun fades into the deepening blue. The scene evokes the fleeting beauty of twilight, that moment when the world pauses between light and darkness. It speaks to transitions, endings, and the promise of rest.

Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Board Size: 20" x 16" Date: 2025 Inspired by the London Docklands, this painting captures the dialogue between history, nature, and modern ambition. The translucent skyline rises like a mirage against the restless blue sky, evoking both the power and fragility of human achievement. A dense, shadowed thicket cuts across the canvas, a reminder of nature’s enduring presence amidst the built environment. In the foreground, pale, stone-like forms suggest traces of the past, echoes of industry, memory, and lives once rooted in this place. By layering sky, city, and earth, the composition reflects on the Docklands as a site of transformation: from maritime heritage to financial hub, from forgotten ground to soaring glass towers. It is a meditation on what is gained, what is lost, and what remains between the shadows and the sky.

Medium: Acrylic on stretched canvas Size;: 24" x 18" Date:  2023 Artist: Matthew Medupin In this abstract composition, the home emerges as a sacred space, a cradle of love, shelter, and belonging. Within its walls, hearts connect, spirits embrace, and peace takes flight like birds in motion. Flowing streams and living trees remind us that the home is both nourishment and renewal, a place where generations are rooted and futures are shaped. Through vibrant colours and symbolic forms, the artist affirms a timeless truth: the home is the bedrock of family, the seed of community, and the great pillar upon which a flourishing society stands.