In ‘Modern Man’, created in the seventies, Oyelami presents a young man in a tie, serious, composed, slightly officious. He stands as the embodiment of the emerging Nigerian corporate class: educated, ambitious, ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with professionals anywhere in the world.
It’s not just a portrait, it’s a quiet, almost humorous observation of a society in transition. Post-independence optimism. Urban growth. Modernity wasn’t abstract; it had a uniform.
Rendered in oil on paper using Oyelami’s trademark translucent wash, the figure carries a lightness and movement that contrasts with his formal attire. The surface breathes.
And here’s the real question:
If an artist were to create a “modern man” today… would he look the same? Would the tie remain?
Or would modernity now be coded differently?
That’s the quiet brilliance of this work. It captures not just a man, but a moment in history when modernity meant something very specific, and very hopeful.