‘She sat for him 12 times’: The Nigerian artist who made a bronze sculpture of Queen Elizabeth II to mark the UK’s 60th anniversary has said she was ‘disappointed’ to be turned down by the Royal Academy.
Olu Ekejule, 65, was initially rejected by the prestigious organisation but had it changed later to an honourable mention.
As she became aware of her shortlisted bronze piece, on display at the Royal Academy’s Sackler Gallery in the capital, Abuja, Olu said she was ‘disappointed’ that the Academy’s governing body, the Royal Academicians, did not recognise her as an artist of merit.
“They said no,” said Olu, referring to the Royal Academy.
“I still believe they should have done it in recognition of me as a woman artist.
“They should have honoured me as an artist and as a woman for that matter. I had to wait for years and years to have that piece approved by the Royal Academy.
“I am quite disappointed and I still believe they should have done it in recognition of me as an artist of merit.”
Olu was born in Lagos to Olusola Ekejule and Nneka (Nwembe) Ekejule in 1951.
She says she moved to UK with her family when she was about three years old.
She was taught by a local Nigerian, Babatunde Osaime.
Olu attended school in London and later became an art student at the Guildhall School of Art and the Royal College of Arts in London, where she studied under Tony Cragg.
But when she decided to pursue her passion and pursue her career as an artist, she came to Abuja to submit her work for nomination to the Academy.
But as she had to submit her work by a certain date, she had to leave her two children with her mother’s guardian at Lagos airport on August 24 last year.
Her mother died five months later.
She later returned to the UK to find that she was now an artist with an official exhibition at the University of Sheffield.
She continued with her journey and was selected by the Academy to make her bronze sculpture of Queen Elizabeth II – she says the selection committee were “very impressed by the piece I made”.