CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Local artist Olasubomi Aka-Bashorun is showing a series of paintings highlighting homelessness among young people at the DBO Gallery.
The exhibition includes 12 images from the perspective of a young homeless person.
Aka-Bashorun, who often goes by Ola, is from Lagos, Nigeria. He’s had his own encounters with homeless youth and wanted to depict the loneliness and isolation of such situations.
Each painting is comprised of black and white images with acrylic and graphite, accompanied by a poem written by Aka-Bashorun or an adult who lived their early life on the streets.
One of the models for Aka-Bashorun’s paintings was a young girl he met in Mexico. She is depicted with her hands in her lap in an almost begging position.
“I think artists are here to change the world. Art, for me, is more than creating aesthetic images; it’s about solving the problems of today. I am very proud to be working with a local homeless nonprofit for this exhibition, and I hope it will significantly contribute to bringing awareness to the youth homelessness crisis,” Aka-Bashorun said.
T-shirts, calendars and prints will be available for purchase as part of the exhibition, with proceeds going to Oasis Center, a Nashville nonprofit working to address the problem.
Aka-Bashorun, who lives in Clarksville, runs the DBO Gallery at two sites, in Nashville and Clarksville, and frequently partners with nonprofits supporting people in need.
The exhibit opened Nov. 5 at the DBO Gallery, 106 N. Second St., and will run until the end of the month. For more, call 615-947-0055.