Twins Seven-Seven

Taiwo Olaniyi Oyewale Toshin Gbogunlorin was born on May 3, 1944, in Ogidi, Kogi State. The only surviving child of seven sets of twins born to his mother, he adopted the artist name 'Twins Seven-Seven' to honour his miraculous survival and spiritual destiny. In 1964, he joined the Mbari Mbayo Club workshops organized by Ulli Beier and Georgina Beier in Osogbo, Osun State.

Developing an intricate, densely patterned linear style on carved wood and paper, Twins Seven-Seven depicted Yoruba deities, shape-shifting spirits, and forest folk tales with kaleidoscopic imagination. Concurrently leading a successful Afro-highlife orchestra, he exhibited at the Centre Pompidou, the Smithsonian, and the Venice Biennale. In 2005, UNESCO named him an official Artist for Peace.