Lemi Ghariokwu is a Nigerian artist, illustrator, and Graphic designer. World famous for his captivating and intricate record sleeves, never failing to give life to lyrics through his pictorial images. He is most renowned for providing 26 of the original cover images for the recordings of Nigerian musician Fela Kuti between 1974 and 1993. His work involves a variety of styles, often using vibrant colours and individuated typefaces of his design. This serves a consciously integrated meta-textual function. One would say his art is rebellious, comical, political, and even erotic, but most of all, he is a genius in pictorial narration. Lemi is also known as the king of covers, titled by The Observer Music Magazine during his solo exhibition in 2004 UK. His work is not only celebrated for its artistic merits but also for its cultural and historical significance. His album covers have been widely exhibited internationally, and his impact on album cover art is widely acknowledged.
His Path as an Artist.
Lemi believes that he was destined to be an Artist. His father wanted him to be a mechanical engineer. He learned all the technical subjects. After he completed his 2nd year, he used to read, travel, and visit universities. He had ample time to practice art. He even got himself in trouble in school because of that. He says that in the mathematics classes, he used to draw sometimes instead of concentrating in class.
He kept practising his art, Eventually, a musician took him to a TV Station to live to draw. After a few weeks, he became famous. People in his neighbourhood started commissioning him to do different portraits. He started earning at the age of 17. Eventually, a journalist saw his commissioned poster of Bruce Lee for Enter the Dragon. At the time, Lemi showed him a sketch of Fela’s Album. The journalist was so impressed that he took Lemi to meet Fela Kuti. On their first meeting, Fela was so impressed by Lemi that he even offered to pay him, which Lemi refused. Fela asked him to design for his album Roforofo Fight, the album became a hit. After that,Lemi Ghariokwu became a star. He just forgot about engineering.
What does he think about himself?
Do you sometimes look back and regret choosing arts as a Career?
LEMI: No, I never have second thoughts I believe in Destiny. So I just know now, I don’t need to look back And now, here I can see Establishments. I am a Rebel. I don’t like institutions at all.
How do you manage your last-minute work?
LEMI: One thing, When I have a job to do to create something that fresh…uhm, my working period is not defined. I can’t determine how strongly I will get ideas related to the work. But if there is a decline. I don’t like to use deadline, I don’t love the word dead, so decline. So if I have the period before the decline comes closer, I keep thinking about the kind of idea, the kind of skill I want to use. Cause my style is very eclectic, I have 10 different styles. If a client asks me, I just Switch off other things, and I make sure the work is ready.
Tell about your day as an Artist.
LEMI: My day starts, so my alarm clock rings at 5:55 am; that’s when I wake up, and then I get ready to go to my studio. Earlier, my studio was like 20 km away. So, at 6:20 a.m., I leave home. I drive, it approx. takes an hour but sometimes, due to traffic, it takes more than that. I relax and then start new work or complete the pending ones. Then, at 3 pm, I leave my office at reach home by 5 pm. Earlier, I used to run a printing business. I have run it for almost 25 years. I am a graphic designer also, I do graphics and paintings. I am past my retirement age. If I were working for the Government, I would be retired by now, I am not retiring as I am self-employed, but I eventually built my own house. I moved in 2 years ago, so my studio is in the house now. So I just woke up and came down to work. If I don’t feel like working I watch TV and YouTube.
(Gupta, A. (2023) behind the album Lemi Ghariokwu.)
Lemi’s work has attracted much attention in the West and is the subject of various exhibitions. His painting ‘Anoda Sistem’, created in 2002, is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Lemi’s works show a great combination of art with social impact through the albums for Fela Kuti. His works inspire many Artists through his unmovable thoughts and actions of changing the world through art.
