Drawing Wonder: The Vivid Worlds of Adetunji Onigbanjo

Even when there is trauma, sorrow, dread—there is also space for joy, exploration, and curiosity. These feelings don't cancel each other out; they can co-exist, quietly or loudly, in the corners of our memories. Art can hold them all. In the case of Adetunji Onigbanjo, known as Lawyartist, it does hold them all. His practice feels like a vivid sketchbook of contradictions: part reverie, part resistance. A celebration of play, shadowed often by a reflection on childhood memories. An act of looking back and a bold leap forward.

Adetunji's work carries the spirited consistency of someone who knows exactly what they're chasing: wonder. His worlds are filled with doodles, abstract explosions, detailed comic-style portraits, and glowing neon lines that dance like electric thoughts. Whether it's the deconstructive portraits of Okunrin and Obinrin, or the vibrant visual stream of his Neon series, there is always a sense of reaching inward—into memory, into mood, into the imagined futures he builds through his recurring character, Mr. Kensho, who  started appearing in the artist's works in 2019; he is not just an avatar, but a guide—a doorway into Adetunji's inner world. 

At the same time, the Deadhorse series, also made in 2019, digs into long-standing Nigerian socio-political issues—bad roads, flooded streets, and the lack of electricity. This isn't art as decoration, it's art as documentation. As a confrontation. In moments like these, Adetunji steps into a more serious register, refusing to look away, but always with that same detailed hand.

Still, the heartbeat of his work is joy. Not surface-level happiness, but a sharper, more deliberate joy—one grounded in nostalgia and constructed with precision. It's the joy of cartoons, yes, but beyondthe messy scribbles of childhood. These are finished worlds, rendered with confidence. His colours are bold, shadows are intentional, and lines are never hesitant. Like animation frames frozen mid-motion, each piece feels composed and controlled—yet never stiff. There's rhythm, energy, and just enough play to keep the work alive.

In just a few years, his practice has expanded from sketchbooks and markers to international commissions and large-scale public work, without ever losing its signature style. In 2020, Lawyartist was invited to collaborate with Cartoon Network, reimagining their classic characters through the lens of his own bold, playful world. He has already created public installations, such as Beacon Buddies, in collaboration with ArtSpace Loughborough, which is currently on display at Beacon Hill Country Park. He's also contributing to this year's Sock Gallery Open 2025 with works tailored to fit the gallery's space, and has explored printmaking through the CMYK group show by Modern Painters New Decorators, Loughborough.

As a self-taught artist who began with just graphite pencils, his development has been steady but intentional. From Stabilo markers and crayon pencils to digital iPad renders and acrylic installations, his toolbox has grown with curiosity, each new medium folded into the same playful, cartoon-rooted language. His recent foray into linoleum block printing (NEON VII or Black Roots) doesn't mark a shift in identity, but a continuation of it—another way to stretch his linework and deepen his textures.

Adetunji's work is sprawling and rich, soaked in colour, sharpened by memory. And maybe that's what makes it matter so much—it reminds us that to create is to remember, and to remember is often an act of joy.