Samson Bakare (b.1993) is a Nigerian artist of multiple disciplines that graduated from the school of Art, Yaba College of Technology.
Bakare’s art is deeply inspired by his father, an architect in the city of Lagos who was responsible of encouraging his son since a young age to pursue his creative journey.
After training under the tutelage of prominent and veteran Nigerian artists such as Abiodun Olaku, Raji Babatunde, Edosa Oguigo, and Ejoh Wallace, Bakare develped his own artistic research and signature style which centers around the propagation of black identity and values in both contemporary and retrospective context while representing historical scenes.
His narrative covers portraits of African men and women with blank expressions as they strive for cultural emancipation. Samson states that his work is “a time machine through which you can see the past and behold the future from the same stand point.”
The East African Coptic art has been the influence in his exploration, even as the theme and subject remains a hybrid of classicism and stylization which he calls Afro-classicism. In his artistic output Samson has depicted several satirical portrait pieces attempting to review the excesses of British-imperialism and racial equality.
The East African Coptic art has been the influence in his exploration, even as the theme and subject remains a hybrid of classicism and stylization which he calls Afro-classicism. In his artistic output Samson has depicted several satirical portrait pieces attempting to review the excesses of British-imperialism and racial equality.
Through his career Bakare has done several collaborations as an exiting one with Gucci in 2022. Samson was chosen by Alessandro Michele together with some other artists to represent the iconic Gucci Bamboo 1947 bag with his remarkable style distinguished by bright colors interpreting his personal vision of the bag in an exquisite bourgeois boho setting.
