Five female artists expanding artistic boundaries

In contemporary art, women continue to reshape creative expression across different mediums. Through painting, quilling, ink, digital arts and mixed media, these artists reflect personal experiences, cultural narratives, and societal themes.

Their work provides insight into evolving artistic movements and challenges traditional interpretations of form and technique.

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Here are the five female artists expanding artistic boundaries

Oniosun Victoria: A bold take on impressionism

Oniosun Victoria is an impressionist painter whose technique blends historical influences with contemporary applications. Her paintings feature flat, unblended layers of colour, reinterpreting impressionist traditions. By employing “broken colour,” a 19th-century technique, she focuses on light, contrast, and texture through layered strokes. Working primarily with acrylic and oil, Victoria constructs her compositions to engage modern audiences with a reimagined impressionist style.

Her piece Sitting Pretty IV (41cm x 51cm, acrylic on canvas, 2023) demonstrates this approach. The painting captures everyday life through deliberate colour placement and structured brushwork while maintaining a sense of movement and vibrancy.

Ayobola Kekere-Ekun: The delicate complexity of quilling

Ayobola Kekere-Ekun is a Nigerian artist known for her use of quilling, a technique that involves rolling and shaping strips of paper to form detailed compositions. Her work explores gender, mythology, memory, and trauma, using paper as a medium for storytelling. Raised in Lagos, she holds degrees in Visual Arts from the University of Lagos and is pursuing a PhD in Art and Design at the University of Johannesburg. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at HOFA (London), JACAA (Yokohama), and UTA Artist Space (Los Angeles). Among her accolades are the ABSA L’Atelier Award (2021) and a Dean Collection grant for her solo exhibition Resilient Lines (2019).

Her 2024 work The Conservatory (122cm x 91cm, mixed media on canvas) incorporates paper strips, fabric, and acrylic. The layered structure highlights the resilience and fragility of the material, reinforcing the themes present in her broader body of work.

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Tejumola Animashaun: Ink, identity and intuition

Tejumola Animashaun is a Lagos-based artist known for her expressive portraiture, working in both traditional and digital mediums to convey what words often cannot. Using watercolour and ink, she creates compositions that explore individuality and personal identity. Her work retains the texture and depth of traditional media, expanding representation within contemporary African art. Shaped by her introspective nature, she examines identity, womanhood, and self-perception. Her work has been exhibited at Madhouse Tikera (2023) and The Polygon Space (2024) in Lagos.

Her piece Omolere (41cm x 64cm, digital art on canvas, 2024) presents a layered approach to storytelling, blending intuitive mark-making with structured composition. The work invites reflection on personal experiences while maintaining accessibility through digital forms.

Joanna Macgregor: Exploring through experimentation and philosophy

Joanna Macgregor, also known as Adevie, creates ink-based artworks characterised by bold lines and fluid forms. Her work explores thought patterns and emotions through structured yet dynamic compositions. Her artistic process incorporates various media, textiles, and paintings, drawing inspiration from dystopian literature and philosophical concepts.

Her ink-on-paper works shared on her Instagram, reflect a meditative approach to mark-making. Her evolving style allows for experimentation with rhythm and repetition, challenging static interpretations of form.

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Shaibu-Salami Ashiata: Freedom through art

Shaibu-Salami Ashiata is a contemporary artist from Kogi State, raised in Ibadan. Her work centres on themes of freedom, expression, and perspective. With a background in writing, music, and travel, she incorporates diverse influences into her paintings.

Her approach includes impasto, sponging, collage, and transfer techniques, expanding the boundaries of traditional painting. Her work Living Green (48in x 48in, paper transfers and acrylic on canvas, 2022) integrates layered textures, reinforcing a theme of interconnectedness and transformation.