Ebenezer Samuel Akinola was born in Ibadan on the 1st of December, 1968. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in painting from the University of Benin in 1989.

In his works, Ebenezer elevates black culture, engages/challenges notions of race, gender, beauty, identity and contemporary African politics and spirituality.

Portraits and figure studies from a special part of Akinola’s oeuvre. He skillfully achieves a balance of realistic and abstract passages in his work, adding further depth with smaller, finer details to accentuate areas of interest.

He has received several important commissions including portraits of former Nigerian leaders Nnamdi Azikwe, Abdulsalami Abubakar and Olusegun Obasanjo, which are all displayed at the National Gallery of Art, Lagos.