Another Love by Olumide Ajayi
Explore Mondoir Studio
Medium: Acrylic and Ink on Canvas
Dimensions: 61 x 61 cm
Year: 2026
Price: $1200.00 USD
Status: available
Love often gets caught in the crossfire of ego. We like the idea of romance, the gentle back-and-forth, the sweet anticipation, the playful dance of two people coming together. But when it comes time to stop playing it safe and actually dive into the deep end, hesitation takes over. Neither side wants to make that first vulnerable move or cross the line where control vanishes. Instead of stepping forward, we hold back, terrified that surrendering completely to another person will destroy us. It feels safer to hover on the edge of genuine connection than to risk drowning in it. So we stay anchored to our pride, keeping love at a distance, close enough to feel warm, but far enough to guarantee we won't get hurt. In the end, we settle for a safe illusion rather than risking the wild, terrifying reality of loving someone with everything we’ve got.
Why collect this work?
A central blue gap converts a poised romantic meeting into an impasse: each figure carries flowers, yet the sharply separated platforms leave symbolic gestures unable to produce contact.
- Ajayi states that his paintings explore less obvious feelings and use cyclical motifs to convey continuing time. Here, repeated rings frame an encounter held at the point before action.
- In the photograph, the black-clad man and red-clad woman face each other in rigid profile. Their small bouquets echo across the divide, while the angled platform edges direct attention downward toward the uncrossed channel.
- The catalogue identifies acrylic and ink on canvas. This combination accommodates broad areas of blue, black, and red alongside narrow outlines, dotted patterns, flowers, and tile divisions, allowing simplified bodies to sit within a densely marked setting.
- The work makes hesitation readable through architecture rather than facial expression. Its split ground provides a concrete way to examine how images of courtship can preserve distance even while displaying mutual attention.
About the Artist
Olumide Ajayi
Olumide Ajayi is an artist on Mondoir Studio. Artistic discipline: Painter. Mixed Media. Based in Ibadan, NG.
Nationality: Nigerian
My work seeks to embrace complex feelings, giving them a canvas to breathe, shift, and resonate.
