Brandon artist named runner-up in Kingston Prize portrait competition

Brandon-based artist Opeyemi Olukotun received an honourable mention and a $3,000 prize at the 2025 Kingston Prize portrait competition held Friday evening in Toronto.

The $25,000 top prize was awarded to Louise Kermode of Waterloo, Ont., for her portrait titled “Madonna in a Tulip Chair.”

The other honourable mention went to Orlin Mantchev, a Bulgarian-born Canadian artist based in Pouch Cove, N.L.

Olukotun, originally from Lagos, Nigeria, has lived in Brandon for three years and operates a downtown studio.

The shortlisted portrait — selected from more than 420 submissions across Canada — emerged from a body of work exploring the emotional and physical dislocations of moving to a new country, Olukotun told the Sun on Monday.

The piece reflects what he described as the “expectations, weather, grief and unpreparedness” of starting life anew in Canada, especially in Brandon.

“This recognition is huge for me,” he said. “The Kingston Prize is a very prestigious portrait competition in Canada, and being named one of the top three creates awareness for my practice. I’m grateful to God. I wasn’t expecting it.”

Olukotun first learned about the Kingston Prize shortly after arriving in Canada. His entry was encouraged by an art supporter who saw his work during a Winnipeg exhibition. Although busy preparing works for international galleries in Spain and Portugal, he submitted his portrait just days before the deadline.

A month later, on Oct. 1, he received the email announcing he had been selected as one of the 30 finalists. The nod came as a welcome boost for the artist, who said he has been working to gain visibility in the North American art world.

“I wanted to get into the art scene here and be aware of what’s happening,” he said. “Coming in second place in this competition was something I never expected.”

This year’s finalists demonstrated the sheer talent that represents Canadian artists’ commitment to capturing “incredible stories that represent our lived experiences through portraiture,” lead juror Gordon Shadrach said.

“The diversity of techniques, styles and subjects portrayed made the task of choosing our top three quite complex. We were impressed by their understanding of their respective mediums and their rigorous attention to detail,” he said.

Olukotun’s portrait grew out of his recent solo exhibition in Brandon, centred on migration, displacement and the emotional weight of adapting to a new home.

The work incorporates a weather app displayed on a phone — an abstracted symbol of the constant vigilance newcomers must develop to survive Manitoba winters. The painting also carries the weight of personal grief, created during a period when Olukotun was mourning the loss of his younger brother.

“A lot of emotions were embedded in the piece,” he said. “It wasn’t just about migration or the cold. It was also about grief and the expectations of starting life over.”

The artist said the recognition has encouraged him to pursue more prominent competitions while remaining focused on artistic growth.

“It’s not something to make you complacent — it makes you want to see how deep you can go with your practice,” he said. “I saw dedicated artists with amazing pieces. I was inspired — honestly inspired.”

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