Sotonye Jumbo
Biography
Sotonye Jumbo, born in 1989 in Bonny Island, Rivers State, attended St. Paul Primary School in
Bonny Island. After his secondary school education, he trained in Calabar with an artist named
Okpok Okon. This was shortly before he got admission in 2012 to study the visual arts at the
Cross Rivers State University of Technology, Calabar.
In 2014, he was sent by the university for an industrial attachment at the Universal Studio of Art
in Iganmu, Lagos. During his time at the studio, he got to meet other artists and mentors who
helped guide him through his journey towards becoming a professional artist. After his
graduation from the university in 2016, he started pursuing a career in art in earnest. In the
beginning, he did mostly plein-air paintings because it suited his love for adventure. This led to
his travelling to different parts of Nigeria to create art and document the process. He was
passionate about it because he not only wanted to master his craft but also experience nature.
During this period, he visited: Obudu Cattle Ranch; Duke Town; Old Cabaar; Ikom Town; Cross
River State; and Ibadan.
He got his first breakthrough when he was invited for an interview on Ebony Live, where he
featured on a programme called "The Spot," which had the former Big Brother Naija housemate
Ebuka Uchendu as the host. Several media interviews (one of which was on HitFm) followed
after that. In 2017, he attended the Harmattan Workshop for the first time and got to experience
art in a different form from what he was used to. This inspiration led to the creation of his next body
of works, which are the most imaginative and conceptual pieces; these in turn led to his present
body of work, titled the "Radiohead Series."
In 2018, he was selected by the Thought Pyramid Art Centre to participate in the gallery's annual
Next of Kin group exhibition, which showcases young Nigerian talents. In 2019, he did the
National Youth Service Corps programme at OYASAF (Omooba Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon Art
Foundation). It was during that period that he conceived his first Radiohead piece. According to
him, he was in search of a unique creative voice, an identity that would make him stand out. In
2020, he started working as a studio assistant to Professor Bruce Onobrakpeya, and that
contributed to the enormous growth of his practice as an artist. Through his exposure at the
Onobrakpeya studio, he became acquainted with new materials and methods of producing art.
Career Highlights
Selected for Union Bank Centenary Art Challenge
2017 Beyond Borders Artists Association of Nigeria’s 3-day Workshop at a remand
2018 Selected for Next of Kin Art Exhibition by Thought Pyramid Art Centre.
Participation at the Society of Nigerian Artists’ annual exhibition, October Rain.
Participation at The Gathering, an art exhibition at Ikollo Gallery, curated by Amber
2021 Arnhem Collection, curated by Amber Sijuade.
Plein-air painting prize Theme: Lagos through time.
All Guts, a group art exhibition at Kokopelli Gallery, curated by Sabo kpade.
