When I Stopped Chasing by Olamilekan Okunade
Explore Mondoir Studio
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 36 x 48 in
Year: 2026
Price: $3700.00 USD
Status: available
For so long, I believed that love and acceptance came from how much I chased people or how often I sought validation. Growing up was quite tough, and as someone who was single-handedly raised, I was scared that my situation would define me. I sought and begged to be seen, and I kept proving myself to people who never truly saw or cared about me. At some point, I started feeling less of myself. The illusion of who I wanted people to see began eating away at my confidence. I would get angry whenever I visited friends and family with both parents. I even reopened my mother's old wounds because, in my mind, it was her fault. How could she choose to raise me alone when there were other choices? Even though she wasn't the reason for my pain. In all of this, little did I know that I was only chasing the illusion of who I craved to become while neglecting the person I was meant to grow into. Recently, I was invited to a gathering with the same people I had been performing for and shrinking myself around. We went to a popular garden, and a thought suddenly struck me. I saw butterflies buzzing and dancing around a particular flower. At that moment, the why came to me—that persistent voice whispered, "If you had been that flower all along, you would have found peace. Instead of chasing butterflies, why don't you simply plant a garden filled with flowers?" This piece is the metaphorical expression of my journey. The different, colorful female portrait represents how much of myself I have given away. The garden surrounding her symbolizes my potential and originality after I stopped chasing and performing for the wrong audience. The golden butterflies represent everything I thought would complete me—love, affection, family, and a deep sense of belonging—which were finally drawn to the beautiful garden I had cultivated, where my life had already begun to flourish. This body of work is a reminder to me, and to every woman who has tiptoed, chased, and walked on a double-edged sword just to feel seen and accepted: plant a garden, and your butterflies will come— irrespective of where you are.
Why collect this work?
A gridded portrait turns the face into a field of shifting colour, while flowers around the figure frame self-possession as something cultivated rather than granted by others.
- Okunade states that his practice centres women’s strength and social experience. For this painting, he identifies the garden as a metaphor for potential after the pursuit of validation ends.
- In the photograph, small rectangular colour units structure the face, hands, clothing and reflective lenses. Braids and dark contours interrupt that grid, holding the figure together against scattered botanical forms.
- The documented acrylic-on-canvas medium can support the opaque blocks and sharp tonal changes visible here. Their repeated scale gives the portrait a constructed quality without dissolving its expression or pose.
- Encountering this work alongside contemporary portraiture can sharpen attention to how fragmentation and ornament carry narrative: the divided surface suggests dispersed identity, while the surrounding garden establishes an alternative structure of growth.
About the Artist
Olamilekan Okunade
Olamilekan Okunade is an artist on Mondoir Studio. Artistic discipline: painting. Based in Nigeria, NG.
Nationality: Nigerian
Geometry pattern| Constructivism Art| Pixilating Arts| Creating Piece with Acrylic on canvas Co-Founder @sipandpaintyourmentalhealth
