In the early 1990s, Alex Nwokolo created a series of breezy sailboat paintings that felt like postcards from a gentler Lagos. Tiny boats drifted across calm waters under bright, sun-washed skies. The works were celebrations of easy living — enjoyment, leisure, a carefree rhythm that defined a beautiful, uncomplicated time. They were joyful canvases filled with light, optimism, and the quiet poetry of a Lagos afternoon.
As the years went on, Nwokolo shifted away from these figurative scenes, embracing more complex themes that mirrored the intensity and contradictions of Lagos life. The city’s struggles, its pressures, and its relentless movement began to surface in his work.
But recently, he has returned to these luminous early themes. Perhaps he feels more at peace with life — and with Lagos. Perhaps it is simply time to revisit the sunny side of existence, to reconnect with the innocence and expansiveness of youth. Whatever the reason, these new paintings of leisure and lightness transport us once again to a happy, beautiful place.
A reminder that even in a city as demanding as Lagos, there is still room for joy, still water beneath the chaos, and still a sail waiting to catch the wind.