Teda is an artist. From graphic designs and cover arts, to original paintings and tote bag designs, Oluwatobile Fakile is taking his personal approach to creating art and fashion whilst finding more about his identity and sharing it.

Who is TEDA?

That’s me, Tobi Emmanuel Arts and Design

What kind of art do you do?”

I make portraits, I believe I make portraits but I approach it from an abstract point of view

How long have you been doing art?​

TEDA: I’ve always been doing art, since I’ve been a kid but definitely I had a professional start that was like 2018/2019. That was like the period I was like yeah I wanna do this.

After service I worked with GTB, in their marketing team and advertisement and from there I was just always involved in the art direction of tech and finance startups and the rest

Have you ever regretted second thought or regretted your decision to go professional?

NO! I’ve never regretted it, I Can’t, my art has literally saved my life, if anything I’m grateful to be gifted and it’s taken me places.

On TEDA Studios online, I saw some customized tote bags, just walk me through that? A painter, a fashion designer how do you do both and what is like your approach to them?

Uhm, I approach my art like a graphic designer. Back in my university days, I did a lot of graphic designs for people especially artists, so it’s sharpened my way of seeing things. I approach my art from a design perspective and design from an art perspective. That led to the tote bag creation, it’s a fashion accessory but it still makes a graphic statement it’s now more, I just want something that lasts forever, you can connect to the story

Another major inspiration was identity, because as Africans we are constantly facing identity predicaments or confusion. We are ashamed of our culture to the point that as long as it does not conform to foreign it’s a failure like see how we treat our languages and culture as second fiddle. So I really wanted my work to lay on that identity crisis and I was like tribal marks, tribal marks because I didn’t have any although I was coming from a line of Yoruba men who were known for their peculiar tribal marks but now I didn’t have one and when I thought of it some more and did research I found so many reasons why we tribal marks came to be like how it’s basically a piece of information about someone like their job, class etc. as well as being able to trace your roots with them. I was just like yeah this is what I wanna showcase with my art and product, finding your identity

This is just by the way Teda but what kind of music do you listen to while working”

Ha! That’s interesting. I don’t have any specific artists but when I work I usually play from playlists and there are a lot of different genres, different vibes. But how I see it is any song that is on my playlist is a very good enough song to listen too.

How is it like working on your art? Do you enjoy the process throughout? Does it ever get stressful or strenuous?

I enjoy the process a lot. Right from before I put paint to the canvas, from where the idea begins to formulate in my head, to picking out colors that complement each other, and how best to paint my experiences on the canvas, I love it all. In terms of stress, what stresses me is when I can’t put out my best, like if I see the picture and can’t recreate then it stresses me, a lot.

How long do you take to work on your pieces?

Usually when I’m locked in and inspired and decide to do nothing but paint it takes like a day, two days mostly and that’s because I would be really focused but if not, like when I’m still doing other stuff if not in a rush it drags for like a week .

Who are the people that influenced your arts?

I get inspired from a lot of people and a lot of things. I get inspired a lot from ancient Nigerian arts, especially the bronze work of the Benin people, you can’t place like a specific name to the sculptors but yes the Benin art inspires me especially because of how they make use of patterns. Ancient art really speaks to me, not just Benin too, I have the art taste of a hundred year old.

Also in my early days when I was still making graphics in uni I was also influenced by Basquait, his ability to be free, the freedom to create and express yourself. There’s also this really intense sculptor and painter from Poland, that I love his work Stainslaw Szukalski.

Okay Teda, are there any artists you would want to collab with on a work

Definitely, Slawn. I love his work, like Basquait, like the greats, his greatest strength is his freedom to create. Many people are usually opinionated about his work, but him, he sees the vision and he puts it to work and that something I relate too. Putting out art as I see it.

Speaking of Slawn and designs, your art style looks like it would slap as a cover art for a music album or something, how do you feel about that?

Well yeah, it’s definitely something I want to happen and I know will happen. You know like I said earlier I have some background with cover arts since my uni days at Covenant University. I did cover arts for Ice Prince, I also did the cover art for one Lady Donli’s first ever project as well as working with Nonso Amadi. So definitely I expect more.

So Teda, we have come to the end of the interview but one last question, if there’s one thing you’d want to tell people with your art what would that be?

Wow, I’ve never been asked that but I think I just want my art to allow people to be themselves, you don’t even have to like it, if you’ve chosen not to like it, it means you’ve still been yourself do you understand, it’s not a by force thing. Just be real with what you like. BE yourself.

Thank you so much TEDA! We can’t wait to see what next you succeed at.