Abayomi Ola

Abayomi Ola is an Associate Professor in the Department of Art and Visual Culture at Spelman College, where he has been a faculty member since 2009. His research focuses on visual satires of power in Africa and its Diasporas, with a particular emphasis on Yoruba visual culture.

• Education:
• Ph.D., University of Iowa
• M.A., University of Wisconsin, Madison
• M.S., Georgia Institute of Technology
• M.A., Grambling State University
• PGDip., Kent Institute of Art and Design, England
• B.A., Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Ola’s work explores intersections of art, politics, and cultural identity. He has contributed essays to journals, encyclopedias, and book chapters, and authored Satires of Power in Yoruba Visual Culture (2013). His research spans African art, diasporic visual culture, and critical theory.

• Honors:
• Chevening Scholar
• Akademie Schloss Solitude Fellowship
• IIE Richard A. Horovitz Fellowship
• ACLS Frederick Burkhardt Fellowship

Ola’s academic leadership includes grants supporting interdisciplinary research in African diasporic art. He has held affiliations with multiple institutions, reflecting his diverse scholarly trajectory across continents.