ACETNews
What began as a simple search for a place where her children could spend time has turned into an unforgettable journey through art for the Aboyewa family, who recently visited the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art in Lagos.
For the family, the visit was more than a casual outing. It became an opportunity to discover remarkable works of art, explore creativity and reconnect with the childlike excitement that comes with learning something new.
Speaking about her experience at the museum, Mrs Aboyewa said she discovered the facility while looking for a suitable place for her children to visit, noting that its proximity to their home made it an easy choice.
“I found this place just looking for a place for the kids to come in since we’re just two blocks away and once we got in, I mean, it opened us a world of art,” she said.
The experience, she explained, exposed her and her family to artworks she had never encountered before, despite having lived for more than six decades. She described the collection at the museum as a remarkable representation of artistic creativity.
“This museum has things that I’ve never seen all my life. You know, I’m not going to tell my age, but you know, more than going to six decades, and this is really beautiful work of art,” she said.
Aboyewa also commended businessman and art collector Yemisi Shyllon for creating a space where people can experience and appreciate art, while acknowledging the contributions of other artists whose works are displayed at the museum.
“Shout out to Yemisi Shyllon, this is just so much and a lot of other artworks are from other artists. They have been phenomenal,” she said.
Among the works that particularly caught her attention was Sisi Eko, which she described enthusiastically as one of the beautiful pieces she encountered during the visit.
“I can’t get over Sisi Eko. Sisi Eko is so pretty and I tried to kind of make my own shape like that. I couldn’t really get that anyway,” she said, expressing her admiration for the creativity behind the artwork.
Beyond the artworks, Aboyewa praised the museum’s staff for their warmth and willingness to engage with visitors. According to her, their friendly attitude and readiness to answer questions contributed significantly to the family’s experience.
“I need to really talk about the staff. I mean, if not anything, the smile on their faces, the readiness to answer every question. I feel like this is home. We will always be back,” she said.
The family’s connection with the museum deepened when they discovered that visitors could participate in tie-dye activities. Having experienced the craft years earlier, Aboyewa decided to return with her children and husband for another round of creative exploration.
“So we found out that we could do the tie and dye, so we came back. And I know I’ve done this years back, but this is another great experience for me and my girls and boy and, of course, my husband,” she said.
The activity transformed the family into enthusiastic learners as they experimented with different patterns and challenged one another to create the most impressive designs.
“We all just became like kids again, trying to learn new things, trying to outsmart ourselves, outdo ourselves, whose pattern is going to be better than the other,” she recalled.
For Aboyewa, the tie-dye pattern she created became more than a colourful piece of fabric. She named it “Circle of Life”, explaining that its spiral design represented the different stages of life and the journey people undertake as they grow.
“And this is mine, as you can see, Circle of Life. It’s spiral. It’s just telling me about when you were born and as you keep going, stages of life,” she explained.
She also connected another part of the design to her personal understanding of success, describing it as a representation of the journey towards achieving one’s goals. “This is to me the road to success. It’s climbing down and, you know, I’m getting there day by day,” she said.
Aboyewa expressed gratitude to everyone who contributed to making the family’s experience memorable, stressing that the museum had given them not only an opportunity to see art but also a chance to learn, create and bond as a family. “Thank you so much, everyone, for making our stay here beautiful,” she said.