By Osa Mbonu-Amadi, Arts Editor

A duo exhibition of recent paintings by Timi Kakandar and Bolaji Ogunwo titled “Cutting Edge” opened to the public yesterday, August 18, at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos, and will run till August 24, 2024.

Speaking with Vanguard on Sunday at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos, Bolaji Ogunwo said the works he brought to the “Cutting Edge” exhibition are the expression his optimism for the healing of Nigeria.  

“What we need to do at this point in our nation is collaboration,” Ogunwo said. “Bringing your own strength, add it to my own, to turn things around. Nigeria may be down, but it’s not out. I believe we can come out of this uncertainties. Some of the works here speak to what possibilities Nigeria holds. That is why my works have been about hope, resilience, the future that is now.

“As a lecturer, I am not just teaching my students, I am showing them what is possible; that right here, despite what is happening, we can still make things work. I am painting the Nigeria I want to see, the Nigeria that is possible.”

He spoke about one of his works titled “One Accord”, saying “in the work, you find over a thousand people (Muslims) praying (Dr. Ogunwo is a Christian and a pastor, which drives home his point of unity in “One Accord”). “At this point,” he continues, “we need to pray for Nigeria. Whatever we say about this country counts. If we say it is well it will be well. If we say it is hard it will be hard. Places don’t make people; people make places.” 

Timi Kakandar who, in his Queen series, used the playing cards’ diamond, club, King and Queen which are said to symbolize wealth, health, energy and courage to tell stories relating to the essence of human experiences and existence, explained to Vanguard:  “As a creative artist, a lot come to play in our minds when we create art — images from our childhood, interactions from places, etc. All of these affect our thought process when it comes to creating arts.

“When the idea of this exhibition came forth with the title, “Cutting Edge”, my mind started to go round, and finally, I hit on the idea of playing cards. The last time I held a playing card was like 7 years ago. But in my childhood, it was very common. Then, we didn’t have computers or the cellphones, so the playing card was one of our playing items.

“I realized that the playing cards have a reflection of an image. When you look at the King, for instance, one head is up, the other head is down. And I began to ponder about the dual nature of the human being, the complex side of the human being where we have dual personalities — I began to see that dual nature in the playing cards. So, the playing card was like a doorway for me to explore the dual nature of human beings,” Timi said.     

According to Temitope Oladeji, Curator of the exhibition, “Cutting Edge is a celebration of transformative energy where each piece re-echoes the individual voice of two prolific artists, who have dared to reimagine the endless possibilities of collaboration, while exchanging and leveraging ideas to forge a cutting edge.”

The Curator said Timi’s soft brushwork and collage strives to celebrate the intricacies and fine details of his subjects. “The subtle facial expressions, gestures and mannerism, paying special homage to his African heritage, notably celebrating feminine extravagant hairstyles, thereby shedding lights on authenticity and cultural pride.”

For Bolaji Ogunwo, the Curator said his “high definition impasto and the richness of the colours in his texture speak to the richness and wealth in the continent which is indicative of an optimism that offers a promising counter-narrative to the current state of turmoil and decline.”

“Ogunwo’s exploration of pixels,” the curator wrote, “evidently takes center stage in ‘Compassion’, which depicts a young mother cuddling her child, alluding to the strong connection between mother and child. The layers of colours in ‘One Accord’ as the abstract human images jostle for space on the canvas speaks to having a unifying voice amidst conflicting ideologies.”

Generally, Oladeji says “these artists cannot be pinned down to one idea; it is difficult to ascribe a name to the individual style put forward by Kakandar and Ogunwo, with everyday relatable subjects, an assemblage of aesthetically pleasing repertoire, which engages the intellect to stir up stimulating discourse.”

 Artist’s Statement (Timi Kakandar)

A Reflection of Personalities: Using the African hand woven entwined hair as a symbol of crowns in this new body of works depicting queenly African women and imposing them on a white themed canvas in similitude to the age old playing cards of European origin, Timi Kakandar creates cutting edge images that are not just aesthetically pleasing but full of cultural and symbolic meanings.

Inclusive in this recent body of works is the traditional carved hair comb dating back to hundreds of years of African ancestry with deep tribal connotations/meanings and history.

This he combines with the playing card motifs/symbols of hearts, spades, diamonds and clubs telling stories of love, family, growth, justice, good pursuits, energy, wealth, fire, speed etc.

A closer perusal of most of the works reveal a reflection of a slashed figure reminiscent of the way the “King, Queen and Joker” on the playing cards are depicted, only that in his work Kakandar steps higher bringing to life energetically his subjects revealing a depth to human emotions while telling his stories with an unpopular design.

In his words… “I seek to expose the invincible double sides of the complex nature of humans; the mix of emotions we experience at every given time. In comparison with his past works, this new body of paintings all executed with a similar fabric collage and acrylic on canvas can only be described aptly as truly cutting edge.

Timi Kakandar’s Bio

Timi Kakandar began his creative career soon after graduating from the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria in 1999. He uses painting, drawing and collage to explore his fascination with the human form in relationship to the challenges, joy, and social political issues that emanate from living and working within the African space. His work exudes a profound intensity of bright raw colours and gestural lines that infuse a presence which powerfully engage the viewer.

Timi’s repertoires are widely collected globally.

In over 2 decades of his studio practice, he has had 6 Solo Exhibitions and over 30 group Exhibitions within and beyond the shores of Nigeria.

Artist’s Statement (Bolaji Ogunwo)

My art is informed by the people and events that permeate my immediate and cyberspace. In the course of my artistic career spanning about three decades, I have resolved not to be led primarily by the trending thematic and stylistic cultures in the visual arts practice, but to see and represent ideas the way I feel and not just the way they are, hence my art is cathartic; a frenzied purgation of my emotions on canvases.

Beyond aesthetics, I ventilate loudly via a rich texture through my palette aimed at documenting the socio-political, cultural and economic subjects for posterity. My consistent practice has culminated into representation of imagery in textured pixels, hence the more you look, the more you see philosophy in my recent offerings

Artist Profile

Bolaji Ogunwo obtained his Bachelor degree from the Department of Fine & Applied Art, University of Benin. He bagged a Master’s degree in painting from the University of Lagos and a PhD in Painting from Delta State University, Abraka.

He has featured in over 60 high-profile group exhibitions and 8 solo shows in Lagos, London, Manchester and Chicago to his credit. His works can be found in notable private and public collections in Nigeria, UK, USA, France, Australia, Belgium, Qatar, Lebanon, UAE, Germany, South Africa, Morocco and Spain to mention a few. He is a senior Pastor in RCCG and a Lecturer in the Department of Creative Arts, University of Lagos. Akoka. His marriage is blessed with children.