Title: Edge of Silence
Medium: Acrylic & Mixable Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 40 x 80 cm
Through this painting, I’m exploring what it feels like to witness without intervening, to stand present yet distant. It’s about that fragile boundary between holding on and letting go, and the quiet weight that comes with simply being there.
VAO25 Painting, Mixed Media & Printmaking Finalist: Olasumbo Wright
A massive congratulations once again to Olasumbo Wright for successfully getting to the Finalist stage of the Visual Art Open 2026 with their artwork 'Contours of Reflection'.
Hear what she has to say about her experience, "I was excited to be part of this year's finalists because it gave me much more exposure, boosted my confidence and gave me the opportunity to also exhibit this work."
Don't miss your chance to be part of the 11th Visual Art Open, a major international award honouring emerging and established artists. Access career-changing opportunities, professional support, national exposure, and a £10,000 prize fund.
Apply Now:
Comment APPLY to be sent the link directly
Deadline: Midnight 10th June 2026
#VAO #VisualArtOpenPrize @labakesart
Final Call for VAO 2026 Entries.
Take your art further with the 11th Visual Art Open. An international platform offering recognition, support, and a prize fund of £10,000.
Deadline: Midnight 11th March 2025
Discounted Entry for Student Artists & Art Educators
Apply Now:
Comment APPLY to be messaged the link directly
#VAO2026 #VisualArtOpen #ArtOpenCall @labakesart
Title: Boys at play
Medium: Acrylic & Mixable Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 40 x 80 cm
I painted Boys at Play to capture a moment of pure, unguarded joy. These boys tacked in a loose, improvised tower embodying a kind of freedom that exists only in childhood. Their laughter, their strength, the easy trust between them… these were the qualities I wanted to honor.
Working in monochrome let me focus on form, light, and emotion. I was drawn to the sheen of water on their skin, the tension in their muscles, the weight they carry and share. There’s a beauty in how they support one another, literally and figuratively, turning an ordinary moment into something almost monumental.
For me, this painting is about brotherhood, about play as a language of connection, and about the resilience and vitality of youth. It’s a celebration of a fleeting instant one that feels timeless in its simplicity and truth.
Title: Grace in the dark
Medium: Acrylic & Mixable Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 40 x 80 cm
Reference photograph credit: @releowoyemi
In this piece, I wanted to explore how light can reveal an inner world more powerfully than full visibility ever could. Her expression, caught between serenity and release, became the focal point as I worked. The darkness around her isn’t meant to engulf her; it’s what makes her radiance possible.
I painted the dress as a soft cascade of light, almost weightless against the depth of the background. Its movement suggests something shifting within her, a quiet emotional exhale. This work is about stillness, femininity, and the private moment when someone lets the world fall away and simply feels.
Title: Ekundayo
Medium: Oil x Acrylic on Canvas
40x80cm
I named this painting after Janet Ekundayo of Nigeria, whose name means tears turned to joy. Beginning in 1969, she opened her home in Isanlu Makutu, Kogi State, to orphaned and abandoned children, raising more than five hundred lives alongside her own five. She was called Olomo Yeye (a mother of many) an acknowledgment of a love that refused to count itself.
Ekundayo is a meditation on love as labor, on motherhood beyond blood, and on resilience shaped by tenderness. It honors a woman whose life transformed grief into joy, and whose legacy continues to live in the children she raised, each one a testament to what it means to be chosen, protected, and allowed to grow.
VAO25 Painting, Mixed Media & Printmaking Finalist: Olasumbo Wright
A massive congratulations to Olasumbo Wright for successfully getting to the Finalist stage of the Visual Art Open 2026 with their artwork 'Contours of Reflection'.
Hear what she has to say about her experience, "I was excited to be part of this year's finalists because it gave me much more exposure, boosted my confidence and gave me the opportunity to also exhibit this work."
Don't miss your chance to be part of the 11th Visual Art Open, a major international award honouring emerging and established artists. Access career-changing opportunities, professional support, national exposure, and a £10,000 prize fund.
Apply Now:
Comment APPLY to be sent the link directly
Deadline: 18th December 2025
#VAO #VisualArtOpenPrize @labakesart
Final Call for VAO 2026 Entries.
Take your art further with the 11th Visual Art Open. An international platform offering recognition, support, and a prize fund of £10,000.
Apply Now:
Comment APPLY to be sent the link directly
Deadline: 18th December 2025
#VAO2026 #VisualArtOpen #ArtOpenCall @labakesart
You are cordially invited to the Visual Art Open Finalists Exhibition at London’s Iconic Minster Building.
My painting “Contours of reflection” selected as one of the finalists in the painting and mixed media category will be on exhibtion.
The exhibition launches on Thursday, 9th October, with an exclusive VIP Preview Night (6-8 pm), where the Overall Winner and Category Winners will be revealed. Guests will experience the finalists’ work in the Minster Building’s breathtaking setting, a City of London landmark admired for its vast glass atrium, Art Deco-inspired interiors, and reputation as a hub for creativity.
The exhibition continues for the public throughout the weekend, both Friday 10th and Saturday 11th, will be open 11am-5pm, and Sunday 12th from 11am-1pm.
The showcase includes 40 finalists works from six key categories: Painting & Mixed Media & Printmaking, Illustration & Drawing, Sculpture, Photography / Digital Art, Student Artist, and Art Educators Award.
Over the past decade, the VAO has awarded opportunities and recognition to hundreds of artists, cementing its place as a launchpad for creative careers with over 30,000 applications from 86 countries. The 10th Anniversary promises to be an exciting year, uniting art lovers, collectors, and curators in celebration of the diversity and vibrancy of the contemporary art created by this year’s finalists.
Event Details:
The Minster Building, 21 Mincing Lane, London, EC34 7AG
9th-12th October 2025
VIP Opening Night: Thursday 9th October 6-8pm (by invitation)
Open to Public: Friday & Saturday 11am – 5pm | Sunday 11am-1pm
