When we stepped into Julius’ living room, there was something in the air, a calm, thick presence that you could literally feel.
Not just ordinary quietness, but a kind of peace that wraps itself around you, even before you find a seat.
At first, I thought it was the soft worship playing from his TV, Nathaniel Bassey’s music flowing gently through the room. But as we settled down and began to talk with Julius Agbaje, the artist who uses his brush to preach Christ, it became clear. The atmosphere wasn’t just set by the music.
It was set by him gangan.
The guy carry peace like cloth. Christ-like peace. You go feel am in the way he talks, the way he listens, even the way the room calm down around him. Infact, you will unconsciously find yourself breathing slower around him.
In this conversation, we journeyed through his story, how it all began, the moments that shaped him, the works that define him, his London experience, and the faith that holds it all together.
How It All Started
Julius has always been an artist. Long before he even knew it.
As a young boy, he spent his days sketching in the same primary school where his mother taught. His teachers noticed his talent early and would often bring their lesson notes for him to illustrate. To Julius, it felt like a normal thing. Like play. He never thought much of it.
Like many young Nigerians, he followed the practical path society expected. He chose science class in secondary school. Later, he gained admission to study Computer Science at university. Everything seemed to be moving in the “safe” direction.
Until one night way everything change.
That night, after heavy overnight reading with his coursemates, something shift inside him.
He realize say all the coding, all the calculations, no really dae interest am. The passion no dey. He just dey force himself to fit into a box wey no be his own.
The next morning, he told his parents that he wanted to leave his course of study and pursue a degree in arts. Thankfully, his parents supported him. And that’s how Julius found himself in YABATECH, stepping into a future that had been quietly waiting for him all along.
A Canvas Waiting for Its Colors
Julius’ journey into art no just be about talent, it was more about alignment.
He knew from early on that he had a gift, the ability to create, to turn thoughts into visuals wey dey speak louder than words.
But what he didn’t know at that time was that this gift no just dey ordinary. E get calling.
For a long time, he was seeing his spirituality and his art as two different lanes, like two parallel roads wey only cross paths once in a while. But as time dey pass, that illusion start to fade small small.
“Can two walk together except they are one?” Julius quoted from Amos 3:3 when we asked him how his faith has shaped his art.
“It’s not art and then spirituality, it’s one. My walk with Jesus isn’t separate from my art. It’s a flow. When He wants to create something, I’m just the vessel He uses.”
At this point, Julius no just dey create fine paintings again. He was making bold statements. And more importantly, he was giving God space to talk through his work.
But before he reach that understanding, there was a season of deep searching. A season of contradictions. A season where shadows still dey dance around the edges of hin painting.
The Dark Seasons
Before the Julius you see today, the one radiating peace and purpose, there was another version of him. One carrying silent battles.
2019 was one of his hardest years. A major heartbreak shook him badly. He had invested so much into a relationship, only for everything to fall apart just like that.
And as if that wasn’t enough, even though people were celebrating his art on social media, reposting, hyping, shouting “Wow wow!”, the real truth na say, nobody was buying.
“You go post work, people go hail you online, but wallet go still dry,” Julius said, laughing lightly, but you could hear the weight of those days underneath the smile.
“It was a mixture of emotional pain and creative frustration. I felt like I was pouring myself into my work, and yet, nothing was moving. No sales, no breakthrough. Just me and my thoughts.”
One of his paintings from his first solo exhibition captured that season perfectly:
One side of the canvas was bright, full of life, balloons, wine glasses, plenty celebration. But the other side was dull, grey, and quiet, almost lifeless.
Exactly how life felt at that time. Outside, everything looked colourful. Inside, it was a battle between hope and despair.
The Turning Point
Then came 2021,bthe year everything started to shift for Julius. The year of clarity. The year of surrender.
“That was the year I truly came back”
It wasn’t a big dramatic experience. No thunder, no lightning, no “I declare it” season. It was just there. It was slow. Gentle. A quiet unveiling.
Like God been dae patiently wait for am, and Julius just finally get the memo to turn back and see Him properly.
As he leaned deeper into his faith, something also started happening in his career. Doors he had been knocking on for years finally began to open.
One major door was the Art X Prize, a highly respected award he had applied for multiple times before, and served breakfast at every attempt. By the time it came up again in 2021, Julius didn’t even want to try. He had just come out of a long creative break, and honestly, hope no too dey inside am again.
“I didn’t want to apply again, I had just taken a long break, and honestly, I wasn’t even in the right frame of mind.”
But somehow, that small push in his spirit, that soft nudge, refused to let him rest. It felt like God was whispering, “Apply again.” So, with small reluctance, Julius submitted his application.
Barely making the deadline.
And this time, he won.
London: A New Horizon
Winning the Art X Prize didn’t just put Julius on a bigger stage. It changed how he also saw himself, and his gift.
Going to London opened his eyes to the bigger picture. He realized that his art wasn’t just beautiful to look at. It wasn’t just about exhibitions and applause. It carried weight. It carried a message that needed to reach the world, not just Nigeria.
When Julius returned home, something about his work had shifted. His vision became sharper. His purpose became clearer. It wasn’t just about creating anymore. It was about obedience to what God wanted to say through him.
Art That Speaks and Paints The Gospel.
One thing you notice immediately about Julius’ work now is that it speaks, loudly and deeply. Not just about him. But about all of us, about faith, about struggle, about waiting, about redemption.
Take A Stirring at Bethsaida for example. The piece is inspired by the story of the man who waited by the pool of Bethesda for healing.
Julius reimagined that moment in today’s world, asking a hard question: How often are we like that man, waiting for a dramatic sign from God, while ignoring the quiet ways He’s already moving around us?
“We often miss God because we’re fixated on how we expect Him to show up. That man was standing before Jesus—the very person who could heal him—but he was still waiting for the pool to be stirred.”
Another one of Julius’ powerful works is Love Weights.
At first glance, the painting feels simple, balloons tied to weights. But as you look closer, you start to see the depth.
It’s about love, not the flaky kind that shifts with mood swings, but the kind that is anchored, steady, trustworthy.
Julius works dae be like visual sermons. They force you to pause. And think. And to feel. And most importantly, to hear God in a fresh way.
Painting Purpose
Today, Julius Agbaje is not just an artist. He’s a vessel. A storyteller. A worshipper with a brush in his hand.
“Art is my worship. It’s my partnership with God. It’s how I speak, how I listen, how I testify.”
And hin journey no straight at all. There were seasons of struggle, seasons of doubt, seasons where hin own expectations wan wound am. There were even seasons of countless breakfasts.
But through it all, one thing remained constant, God.
And as we wrapped up our conversation with him, one truth stood tall:
Julius doesn’t just paint pictures.
He paints the gospel.
