Oluwatoyin Akintoroye (Toyin**), is a working artist still in the early stages of their career. They began getting to know other artists through university activities and installing shows around the city of Detroit, where they were born and raised.
Through instillation work they observed many styles of art and continue to use their experience as inspiration for their own art. Driven by the desire to create pieces that spark joy in others, Toyin looks to their inner child when drawing, painting, sculpting, and printmaking. They expect to be earning a degree in Industrial Design with a minor in Printmaking in their 5th year of college, 2023.
As a child, Toyin (aka RedBush) never believed that a career in art was something that fit into what the world had envisioned for them. They had always been artistic and passionate about the process of creation.
Growing up in Detroit, surrounded by the creativity that seeps into every aspect of life there, they could not ignore the call to finally do what they were always meant to, defying the expectations of those who had seen them grow up. Their work often discusses issues around identity and mental health in a whimsical and, at times, abstract way.
Toyin was commissioned to create a piece for the “Homecoming : Part 2” exhibition as a LIVE creation during this year’s Dally in the Alley. That work is currently on display at the Carr Center Gallery through November 19th.