A solo show of paintings, titled, Ikore (Harvest) by Dr. Aderinsoye Aladegbongbe opened on Saturday September 21 at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos. Featuring works in plastopaint rendered in oil and painting paste, mixed media, acrylic and poster colours, printing ink and gouache, acrylic on paper and acrylic on canvas, the show ends September 28.

Ìkórè is an expression of the resultant effects of doing due diligence over time before the harvest time comes.

The show underscores the expectation of a process that involves tilling and cultivating the land, planting seeds, nurturing, waiting patiently for the plants to grow and produce their fruits, and the harvest. Now that he is harvesting the seeds he planted years ago through these visual offerings, Aladegbongbe teaches the values of diligence, patience, and resilience.

As a verb, to harvest something means that you pick or gather it. As a noun, harvest means the time of year when crops are ripe and ready to be gathered. The picked crop is also called a harvest: a bumper crop is a plentiful harvest, and a poor harvest is when things didn’t grow as well as expected.

According to him, the show is a fall-out of a research he carried out on Ijesu Festival at Ilara Mokin, in Ondo State during his post graduate programme.

The works on display include, Peace and joy of harvest, Dance of the high command, Colourful performance during Ijesu festival, Tribute to the God of harvest, Culture and nature in essence, Workshop of harvest, Dialogue of the duo adherent, Symphony of forms, Sight of land, Bond in harvest and Bountiful harvest among others. Many of the works are in series.

For the Yaba College of Technology trained artist, “it is an ode to the human experience – a celebration of our capacity to cultivate, create, and reap the rewards of our labour. I hope that these paintings will inspire viewers to reflect on their own relationship with abundance, growth, and transformation, and to find meaning in the cycles of life.”

He said: “The concept of Ikore, or ‘harvest’, resonates deeply with me — not just as a reflection of the physical world but as a profound spiritual principle in the Kingdom of God. In my art, I seek to depict the beauty and significance of this divine process, where the seeds we sow in faith, love, and hard work ultimately yield a harvest that glorifies God and blesses our lives.”

He said he was fascinated by the paraphernalia of the festival’s initiates and the different arms of the festival celebration, which has the rites before the rites, during the festival and the rites after.

“My artistic process is a journey of discovery, as I experiment with pigments, texture, and form to create dynamic, layered works that pulse with energy. I draw inspiration from the natural world, the spiritual, where growth and decay exist in tandem, and where the harvest season represents a moment of culmination and celebration,” the artist said.

“My palette is characterised by earthy tones, golden light, and vibrant hues, evoking the warmth and richness of the harvest season,” he said: “I see Ikore as a theme that extends beyond the farm and into every aspect of life. Whether it’s in academics, business, or personal endeavors, the principle remains the same: we reap what we sow.”

He added, “this exhibition is my way of celebrating not just the harvest itself, but the entire journey that leads to it. Each piece of art you see here — whether it’s a vibrant painting, an intricate plastopaint or a plastographic rendition — tells a story of sowing and reaping, of dreams and hard work, of struggle and triumph. It’s a reflection of my own journey as an artist and as a person who believes in the power of perseverance and the beauty of life’s cycles.”

The curator, Moses Ohiomokhare, said his works captures immediacy and movements in his composition, as well as the essence of his subject matter rather than the details.

“Aladegbongbe works spontaneously and you enjoy his bright and varied use of light. Ikore or Harvest is celebration of the seasons of gathering of products or works at maturity. Each day, we work, and earn our living, we experience harvest. It is a time to earn, to gather, glean and bring in. His work is also philosophical and spiritual reminding his audience that you reap what you sow. It also means, act process or event have consequences. You should therefore not be tired of doing what is right, because you gain or win any of your past acts,” he quipped.

In the show, he employs a range of techniques, from bold brushstrokes to intricate details, to convey the complexity and beauty of this moment. His collection is provokes the visual sensibilities of art enthusiasts and collectors alike to appreciate the cumulating quality of this life-sustaining process that nature has endowed mankind.

According to Kehinde Adepegba of the Department of Art and Industrial Design, Lagos State University of Science and Technology, Ikorodu, “he sees through the perspective that the ultimate harvest is the end product of a successful process. That is, no toiling, no harvest.”

In the foreword to the exhibition brochure, Dr. Kunle Adeyemi said of the exhibition: “The dynamics of his pictorial compositions are filled with actions and non-static gestures signaling a newness of creative consciousness, of action packed real live theatre of a film show. Undeniably, his works take their— roots from the seamless local stories, dialogues and other range of compositional phrasings, as well as the razzmatazz of liquidized dripping colours under the tendering effects ennobling brush work he christened plastopaint.”

For Irokanulo, Ikemefula Emmanuel, PhD, Chief lecturer in Drawing and Painting at the Yaba Art School, “the show explores the themes of abundance, growth, and transformation through vibrant, textured works that evoke the cyclical nature of life. It is inspired by the natural world and the symbolism of the harvest season through Plastopaint approach in print making under plastography. It aims to capture the essence of moments in time when hard work and dedication yield bountiful rewards.

“This practice methodology explores other vistas in the mixed-media painting, thereby, afford painters other material conceptions through which they can express their thoughts in mixed media painting. It is based on the investigation of mixed-media plastopaint for expression of Yoruba paraphernalia about harvest.”

Aladegbongbe started his art career 37 years ago at the Yaba Art School. After his National Diploma (ND), he proceeded to the same school to bag his Higher National Diploma (HND) in painting precisely between 1990 and 1992.

As a man in a continuous search for knowledge and elevation in the sanctuary of visual artistry, Aladegbongbe proceeded to the University of Benin for his Master of Fine Art (MFA) in painting and Ph.D in painting from the same university in 2008 and 2015 respectively.
Through the rigours of hard work and fervent commitment to service, Aladegbongbe has become an accomplished master of his practice as a multi-technique and multi-skill artist who is proficient in painting, design, printmaking, and metal sculpting to mention a few.

With years of experience speckled with leadership responsibilities in the Yaba College of Technology where he has committed 28 years, he is now an effective artist, researcher, curator, teacher and administrator

His background as a Christian readily comes to bear and makes him encourage his audience to sow the seed of truth and the seed of hope and love. Harvest calls for perseverance as there is dignity in labour of love.