Old Man Red

Name: Old Man Red
Brand: Raknida
Price: 55.0 USD
Availability: InStock

Dayo Gerard Akindoyeni

Faceted portrait of an elderly Black man with white hair and beard, lips slightly parted, wearing a gold hoop earring and gold chain, his red shirt merging into a flat red background.

$55.00

Dayo Gerard Akindoyeni's portrait of the quiet elders he grew up around. A white-bearded old man stands against a flat red field, a single gold hoop at his ear.

Old Man Red is a Studio Edition: 20 museum-quality art prints in each size, each numbered in its white border. Every artwork comes with its Cultural Passport.

The Cultural Passport

Every order comes with the heritage documented.

Digital, emailed when your order ships: the work's story, the tradition it draws on and how it was made. 5 × 7 in (13 × 18 cm), ready to print and frame beside the work.

How it works →

"The OLDMAN is not one person," Dayo Gerard Akindoyeni says, "but he feels familiar." He made him for a particular kind of elder, the quiet ones full of presence. They have seen a lot and carry it with dignity, the kind he grew up around. This is his way of seeing and acknowledging those who came before us.

So the old man says nothing. White hair and a white beard stand out like snow against deep brown skin, the brows heavy, the lips just parted. The red of his shirt runs straight into a flat red field, so the face seems to rise out of the colour. Find the gold: one small hoop at his ear, a fine chain at the open collar. They are the only ornaments, and they are enough. In Dayo's words, these are the ones who don't always speak, but whose presence says everything.

Motifs in this work

White hair and beard: a lifetime carried with dignity

Lips just parted: the elder who doesn't always speak

Gold hoop and chain: the only ornaments, placed with care

Edition: Edition of 20 in each size · 20 across all sizes. Further runs possible once a size sells out, each tagged (Run 2). Edition numbers count the works sold through Raknida; the artist may also sell their own editions of this work.
Numbering: Number, title and artist printed in the white border.
Printing: Museum-quality giclée with archival pigment inks on museum-grade cotton fine art paper.
Year: 2024
Includes: Your numbered artwork and its Cultural Passport.

Size	Sheet	Image	Museum-Quality Print only	Framed	Available
S	9 × 12 in	7½ × 10 in	$55	+$65	20

The artist

Dayo Gerard Akindoyeni

Yoruba · Benin City, Nigeria · 3 works on Raknida

Dayo Gerard Akindoyeni, who works as Ghalavanqche, is a Nigerian illustrator and concept artist based in Benin City. He has a background in Fine Art and Graphic Design. His practice spans digital illustration, concept art, character design, worldbuilding and book covers. His work explores African identity, culture, beauty and everyday life through simple contemporary digital art. In his words, he creates "quiet narratives that celebrate African people and the world around them." His portraits are built from clean planes of colour, and gold appears sparingly, as a mark of worth.

View full profile →All 3 works →