On The Edge demonstrates Gbemileke Adekunle's range as a figurative painter. Where the majority of his works in this collection place the figure in a vertical or reclining orientation, here the subject is horizontal and foreshortened, the body filling the 56 x 33.5 inch canvas with a physical immediacy that creates a distinctive relationship between viewer and image. Adekunle works in acrylic on canvas, and the surface here is handled with a directness that gives the composition its energy. The palette, relatively restrained by his standards, uses earth tones and muted blues to create a mood of concentrated attention. On The Edge was created in 2022 and reflects the period in which Adekunle was consolidating his figurative vocabulary while also testing its limits in compositions of unusual format and psychological focus. The work was acquired in 2024.