Artist’s mosaic stopped traffic on the street by Martin Zeilig July 6th, 2007 THE unveiling of a dazzling, multi-hued mosaic -- composed of 10,080 tiny glass tiles -- fastened to the front of a modest-sized, bi-level house in St. Vital "literally stopped traffic on the street," according to the man who created the work of art on his house. Measuring five metres by one metre, the mosaic by artist Yisa Akinbolaji, entitled Peace and Purpose, is what one might term a study in patterned elegance with its stylized peace dove, the Chinese symbol for prosperity, and a star, among other elements. It is reminiscent of the mosaics found on floors and walls among the ruins of Ancient Rome, albeit in a more modern mode. "I want to use the mosaic that I've installed on my house as a means of communication and sharing. I have always enjoyed the beauty of art around me. My family enjoys seeing the art I create and the artworks I purchase from other artists. When I walk out the door, I love to see the beautiful colours of the mosaic. Those colours evoke celebration and inclusion," said Akinbolaji, 47, who immigrated to Winnipeg in September 1997 from Lagos, Nigeria, at the invitation of relatives. Akinbolaji, who studied at the Yaba College of Art and Technology in Lagos and later advertising art at Red River College, had his oil and acrylic paintings displayed at the Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre in April 2006, and at a juried exhibition at the Winnipeg Art Gallery arts rental and sales in May. He has also been featured on local French and English CBC TV broadcasts. The short, solidly built Akinbolaji said this is only his second mosaic in Canada. "My work is not complete until people have enjoyed seeing it," says the former president of the Manitoba Society of Artists, whose latest large mosaic work in Nigeria is entitled The Good Shepherd and was installed in Ikeja, Lagos in "a limited colour palette." Akinbolaji said the idea for the house mosaic started out as a concept on a blank space. "Then, I asked myself, 'What do I really want to communicate here on this open canvas?' And so the idea of Peace and Purpose emerged. Following that idea, I did some preliminary sketches," he said. On the faux wood floor of his lower-level home studio, he meticulously assembled the tiles piece by piece into square sections on sticky "tack paper" before transferring each section onto a sturdy plywood backing on which he had applied a special mortar. "I applied a liquid sealer over the tiles for maximum protection," said Akinbolaji. "I hope my mosaic installation will encourage architects and government to improve on the installation of public art." Used with permission © Winnipeg Free Press
Artist now makes limited edition prints of the mosaic available
 Print size: H113/4ins by W36ins
For home or offices- Regular black frame is recommended
Mosaic original size: H3.2ft by W16ft
Neighbours and guests at the unveiling of the mosaic entitled, Peace and Purpose at, 71 Elsbury Bay, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Yisa’s art collectors join in the unveiling
Yisa installng mosaic at Ikeja Lagos Yisa tiles mosaic in style with other artists Yisa sample of mosaic at Ikeja Lagos Yisa sample of completed mosaic at Ikeja Lagos Yisa installing completed mosaic The mosaic by Yisa Akinbolaji
“The Good Shepherd” of five mosaic works was installed in July, 1997. Size: H33ft by W21ft
© 2009 Yisa Akinbolaji
Yisa AKINBOLAJI
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