O. Yemi Tubi: It is Finished; the Stone is Rolled Away

O Yemi Tubi is a Nigerian born, USA trained artist with a unique personal style, currently residing in the United Kingdom. Most of his recent paintings have been influenced by the political and social upheaval of our world today and the works of the Renaissance artists.

"So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit." John 19 verse 30

"The strife is o'er, the battle done; the victory of life is won; the song of triumph has begun: Alleluia!"

"This painting was my Easter message to the world in lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic. In the Bible, the followers of Jesus Christ were locked down for three days before Easter Sunday. They were gripped with fear of possible arrest by the Roman soldiers just as everyone around the world is gripped with fear of being infected by the coronavirus. The social life of the human race is partially dead; everyone is in a lockdown state, sealed in by the stone of the coronavirus. On resurrection morning – Easter morning, when the stone was rolled away, the Lord Jesus Christ rose triumphantly from the tomb. In this painting, coronavirus is the stone that is rolled away and the figure is jumping out of the tomb in jubilation.

In front of the tomb is a couple who have thrown away their face masks and are engaged in an embrace. Their flying face masks turn into doves. The dove is often used as a symbol of the peace God made with the human race. In the far left of the painting is the image of a Roman soldier that was brought to his knees by the supremacy of God's power and underneath the tomb are the Roman soldier's helmet and sword; the symbol of the 'superpower' of the time. Coronavirus has brought the modern world 'superpowers' to their knees and they are powerlessness against the virus. This painting 'It is Finished; the Stone is Rolled Away' is an optimistic prediction that the stone of coronavirus will be rolled away and the social life of humans will be resurrected and come to life again."

You can see more of O. Yemi's work on his website, or contact him through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

CuratorSpace are currently featuring articles by artists, curators and organisations who want to share their experiences of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, whether that is artists using their practice as a way of exploring new boundaries of isolation, or as a way to connect more broadly with their communities. We are also interested in hearing from curators and organisations who are offering support to artists and audiences during this time.

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