By Osa Mbonu-Amadi

Abuja-based contemporary artist, Setonji Akran, has carved a nitch for himself in the ever evolving Nigerian art scene with colourful introspective artworks, etched in dynamic and emotive human figures.

For almost two years (April, 2024 -December, 2025), the artist painstakingly created images drawn from sports and embedded with life lessons on personal development under the captivating series, “In Play: Becoming I-IV”.

In Play predominantly features acrylic paintings portraying figures of sporting activities like soccer, table tennis, and basketball.

The fascinating paintings include male and female images restlessly engaged in different aspects of sporting activities with none of the works fully completed. Instead, the images convey messages of unfulfilled dreams, journeys yet to be embarked upon, and ongoing pursuits all of which Setonji mirrors on the canvas, portraying themes of discipline, dedication, and focus in the pursuit of personal and communal goals. In his artist statement, the creative who holds a first degree in Theatre Arts from Lagos State University, Ojo, reveals that the artwork introspectively reflects his own yet-to-be-accomplished visions. The pieces therefore challenge viewers to courageously tackle any obstacles on their path as they journey through life.

The first phase “In Play: Becoming I – Table Tennis”, depicts a serene atmosphere for meditation, focusing on a lone figure, which embodies the tenets of the sport such as precision and doggedness.

With textured, layered strokes, the artist creates enchanting paintings, showcasing the values of consistency, gradual but sustained growth, and indispensability of discipline which is an essential ingredients for success.

Setonji’s choice of striving figures will resonate with viewers across different socio-cultural backgrounds as they mirror the theme of success as journey, highlighting the fact that virtually every individual aspires for something that could be sometimes elusive. Even when the persona attain admirable feats, they keep striving because man is naturally a restless being.

The second phase of the work, “In Play: Becoming II – Football”, particularly resonates with lovers of art, who are also passionate about football. The painting unveils a figure, who takes center stage, set to display mesmerising skills, which are of course left for viewers to imagine as the brushwork ends abruptly, creating a suspense. Like other sports, Setonji uses football to express man’s inspired drives for excellence and pursuit of social goals and spiritual visions even while unsure of where he is headed.

The art piece also mirrors Setonji’s “Faces in Motion”, which incorporates psychological and emotional dispositions into figurative displays that unmistakably portray football as the most cherished sport in Nigeria. However, the figures are also metaphoric representations of yet-to-be attained national and personal goals.

In “In Play: Becoming III – Basketball”, the artist skillfully presents a figure, who stretches skyward in a leap ostensibly for a winning throw. The suspended extension of the player in mid motion, depicts themes of passionate pursuit with possibilities of either victory or disillusionment, which the artist alludes to via the subtitle, “weight and hope”.

One striking feature of the artist’s technique is that he uses captivating images to mirror universal truths, relating to how humans invest time, effort, energy, and other resources to arrive at predetermined goals, with no visible assurances.

The artist deploys colour to reflect tension, drive, tenacity, and pursuit with the unfinished rough edges, revealing that dreams in progress could either be fulfilled or aborted.

In diverse fascinating ways, Setonji’s portraiture uniquely anchors on sport as a universal allegory for life’s lessons.

The final phase, with the sublime title, “In Play: Becoming IV – American Football”, Setonji innovatively explores themes of resilience through a metaphoric figure whose protective helmet helps to adapt to the demands of the environment.

Setonji has also done commissioned works, which probe human endurance, in consonance with the dominant patterns in her mixed-media or acrylic works. In diverse fascinating ways, Setonji Akran’s portraiture uniquely deploys sport as a universal allegory for life’s lessons.

The artist particularly applies sport metaphor to explore human identity, self-discovery, and resilience.

With over a decade in his artistic journey, Setonji’s rising profile in Nigeria’s art scene is unsurprising as he has been consistently aligning his work with relatable realities of life as captured in the present series, which embodies power in vulnerability, aspirations, and unaccomplished dreams.

The persona whose talents are showcased represent upstarts in different fields of sports; players and athletes who are learning the ropes in the process of “becomings” as they strive towards fulfilling set goals.

Beyond using his painting to entertain, Setonji Akran presents art pieces that will inspire viewers to take positive actions toward the realisation of their personal dreams.

Although the embedded messages appear unclear as the artist does not spell them out, viewers can connect the dots to the thematic thread through basic background knowledge of the four sporting activities without getting lost in the haze. The panels connect the divergent themes via a single, rhythmic pattern, which makes their didactic content unmistakably poignant.

Setonji’s paintings converge together into one beautiful picture with a message that transforms the strivings of the athletic nature into a universal effort to go beyond the sport.

Looking at the spiritual aspect, Setonji uses metaphors and allusions in order to guide his viewers to the biblical Pauline model of treating the tracks as a parable containing spiritual and socio-cultural values with athletes and races used to teach the significance of discipline, endurance, and consistency in one’s pursuit of his goals. This is similar to what Paul tells the Corinthians and Philippians using phrases like, “…run in such a way as to get the prize”, “I have not run in vain”, and “… run with patience.” Unlike simply depicting bodies in motions, Setonji’s art works use the sweat and strivings as metaphors of spiritual and personal race that everyone on earth goes through involving elements of purpose, faith, character among others necessary in physical contests.