“Adesina” means “She Opens the Way for More,” and artist Adesina aims to create work that opens minds and hearts to inquire, to feel, and to do more: in the world, in our communities, & for our spiritual selves.
Born Adesina Sanchez, and raised in New York City, Adesina was named to honor her partial Yoruba ancestry — the name a perfect fit for “a first child, long awaited,” who would one day become a multimedia artist, media personality & philanthropist. Adesina’s Latina heritage is referenced by the bright palette of her watercolors, her surrealistic & allegorical sculptures, as well as by her social commentaries in oil and acrylic. Her artistic heroes are Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo, and Diego Rivera, and like them, Adesina prefers to work in a representational style, frequently incorporating portraiture as a narrative device.
Adesina began creating art at an early age; at only 18 months she drew her first cartoon, and by the time she was three years old, she openly declared that she would grow up to be an artist. Dedicated to her craft even as a child, she developed her technique and began selling pencil portrait commissions as early as 1988. Simultaneously, she explored painting and sculpture, and soon sold works in those mediums as well.
She also excelled in academics, was a member of the National Honor Society, and was named a National Hispanic Scholar by the US College Board. Determined to follow an artistic path, Adesina was admitted to the Fiorello LaGuardia High School of Music and Art (the “Fame” school made popular by the film), and eventually earned an academic scholarship to Pratt Institute, where she majored in Fine Art, until she transferred to SVA to study Graphic Design.
The daughter of two Ivy League graduates – both doctors and activists, Adesina grew up in a political household where critical thinking was essential; thus was born her obsession with social change. During her studies at SVA, she began a series of canvases on homelessness, having witnessed the impacts of inequality while growing up in the Bronx in the 1980’s, at the time the poorest Congressional district in the nation, as well as more recently being disheartened by the juxtaposition of extreme wealth and poverty that punctuated her adult life in Manhattan. In response, Adesina seeks to create art that is not only highly detailed & aesthetically pleasing, but that actively inspires thought and discussion on important social & cultural issues.
Highlighted projects include a series of pencil portraits which were sold at auction with 100% of the proceeds benefiting a different charity every month; as well as a multimedia painting and video project: www.IHaveADream2013.com. This project features video submissions from over 50 people from all walks of life, each reading one line from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s famous speech, to commemorate its 50th Anniversary, as well as a painted collage of each participant’s video, which together formed a portrait of Dr. King himself. This piece, along with others from her portfolio, has been shown in various New York City galleries. She has also had a watercolor painting featured in Billboard Magazine, and her design work displayed in the gift shop of the Guggenheim Museum.
Photo by Rod Savant
Outside of her art career, Adesina is also a technology expert & established television personality, with nearly 20 years of experience. This includes work as an MTV VJ, anchoring for E! News Now, and hosting dozens of programs for broadcasting giants ranging from the Syfy Channel, to VEVO, to FOX. She has also founded multiple online properties, including GamesGeeksTech.com and AIC-TV.com. You may peruse her on-camera work at Adesina.TV.
Currently, Adesina is working on a new multimedia fine art series, and is available for commissions, gallery exhibitions & press opportunities, by contacting her management here (opens in new window).