By Osa Mbonu-Amadi, Arts Editor

A new art space, Gálárì, strategically located along Oluwaleimu Street, off Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos, officially opened its doors to the public yesterday with a group exhibition of works by Kolawole Olalekan, Adetutu Adediran, Adeniyi Adewole, Konboye Eugene, Olúbùnmi Atéré, Seyi Akinwumi and Noma Osula. The exhibition, titled ‘In Search’, runs from June 11-25, 2023.  

Mathew Oyedele, curator of the exhibition, told Vanguard that “the theme of the exhibition which also coincides with the aim of establishing the space is born out of the difficulty of finding spaces for art exhibitions as well as the search for artists who walk lonely paths in the industry.”

Briefly commenting on the works of each of the exhibiting artists, the curator said in Kolawole Olalekan pieces, “humans are depicted in ostriches’ typical positions as metaphors for Nigerian citizens and their political situations,” while Adetutu Adediran’s conceptual photographs are inspired by stories from her environment” which deal with “issues of migration and self-actualization.

Adeniyi Adewole’s work are steeped in Yoruba culture, folklore, history and fables, exploring the Yoruba concept of Ori as a spiritual essence and the decider of a man’s journey; “Konboye Eugene put up portraits of children to reference their innocence, simplicity and unadulterated thoughts in his exploration of the techniques of stitching and pasting solid flip flops. Olúbùnmi Atéré’s textually rich ceramic pieces are inundated with linear engravings that are both spontaneous and calculated; Distorted lines and inks are threads that weave Seyi Akinwunmi’s abstract and conceptual figures together; while Noma Osula’s photograph hides the face of the subject behind a flowing hairstyle and continues his interest in studying and capturing people in fiddly positions.”

“With this opening exhibition, Gálárìaims to be an art space that gives artists a sense of belonging and present creative energies that are non-conforming,” says Oyedele.   

ARTISTS’ BIOGRAPHY

Kolawole Olalekan

Kolawole Olalekan (b. 1990) is an artist working with painting and drawing. He received a B.A. in Fine and Applied Art from the University of Benin (2013), with a major in painting. His art uses metaphoric illustrations to capture the nuance happening of everyday life. His works can also be viewed as a social commentary with intimate humor. His processes spontaneously bring together an improbable combination of the conceptual, surreal, pop, and the possibilities of the mundane in a magical realism of his own devising.  Kolawole lives and works in Lagos, Nigeria.

Artist’s Statement

Ostrich Plant Your Head is a series that addresses the Nigerian political situation and its citizens. The title is taken from the metaphor on how Ostriches plant their heads to avoid predators.

This metaphor originates from the pattern and position of how Ostriches lay their eggs. Ostriches stand between seven and nine feet tall and they have relatively small heads. They dig shallow holes in the ground as nests for their eggs and use their beaks to turn the eggs each day. When they do this, they appear like they are burying their heads in the sand to avoid predators as only their large bodies remain visible in the process.

This metaphor is taken to look at the Nigerian political situation where citizens are not allowed to speak up on ridiculous happenings in the country. They are either threatened, harassed, oppressed by the politicians, kidnapped without traces or killed without justice. Some citizens have therefore retreated to jokes and comedies to keep themselves busy to avoid being targeted by politicians just like Ostriches bury their heads to avoid predators.    

Olúbùnmi Atéré

Olúbùnmi Atéré (b. 1991) is a ceramicist from Ondo State, Nigeria. Although studied Adult Education at

Adekunle Ajasin University (B.Ed 2011), she practiced as a communications professional for 6 years before she gave in to her love for art. She debuted as a ceramicist in April 2022 and has since been exploring the versatility of clay as a tool of communication and a witness to being. After her debut, she went on to bag the Dr. Pius Okigbo Prize for Technical Proficiency Prize at LIMCAF 2022. Her works have been shown in galleries in Nigeria, United Kingdom and the United States. She currently works from her home studio in Lagos, Nigeria. 

Artist’s Statement

Who gets to tell the African story?

How will they tell it?

Referencing the phrase ‘The Curate’s Egg’ which was coined in November 1895 when the novelist George du Maurier caricatured ‘True Humility’ in the satirical magazine Punch: ‘I’m afraid you’ve got a bad egg, Mr Jones’, says the Bishop to the Curate over breakfast; ‘Oh no, my lord,’ the Curate replies, ‘I assure you that parts of it are excellent!’ The curate, presented with a bad boiled egg by the vicar, is too polite to tell the truth and so assures him that ‘parts of it are excellent’. The joke, of course, is that a bad egg is a bad egg, rotten to the core.

Africans are often considered or put in a similar state of ‘true humility’ backed by the notion of identity and sociopolitical history. Now is the time to unshackle the promises in Africa from competing international interests, well-intended-but-harmful global policies, disjointed actions and diminished national capacities through our push for genuine and authentic representation of the narrative of Africa by Africans.

Adeniyi Adewole

Adeniyi Adewole (b.1994) is a contemporary sculptor born in Ibadan, Nigeria. He studied Arts and Industrial Design at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos. Adewole is also an art instructor and co-founder of the Ayowole Academy of Arts. In 2022, he participated in a group exhibition titled Crossroads by SMO Contemporary as well as Young Contemporaries at Rele Gallery, 2023.

Artist’s Statement

My work explores the past and the present, especially with regard to the Yoruba people. In my practice, I delve into parts of Yoruba history, culture, mythology, fables and folklore to uncover and create metaphors that speak to social issues in contemporary African societies. I am also interested in exploring and presenting the surreal which informs my alteration of the human head. According to Yoruba philosophy, beyond the physical head seen outside, there is an inner head which is regarded as a person’s spiritual essence.  

Adetutu Adediran

Adetutu Adediran (b. 1999) is a visual artist and conceptual photographer. Born is Osun, she graduated with a B. Tech in Chemistry from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology. Working in a conceptual photographic style, Adediran presents meticulously posed and arranged images that employ symbolism in representing ideas on masculinity, identity and migration. Her work is influenced by her experience and stories from her environment. Adediran’s work has been exhibited at the Abuja Photo Festival, Abuja, Arnheim Gallery, Ibadan and Rele Gallery, Lagos.  

Artist’s Statement

“Nigerian dream” and “Home is not here” captures the exodus of Nigerians under the popular term of Japa. It explores the search for home on a global scale which also captures the search for international recognition by artists. The images capture people at the point of departure and acts as repositories of personal migration stories. As a recurring motif, the balloons represent the desire for self-actualization and ambitions that propel migration.  The work is influenced by the migration trend in Nigeria as well as Jacob Lawrence’s Great migration series.

Konboye Eugene

Konboye Eugene (b.1992) works primarily with flip flops obtained from drainages and dumping grounds. His choice of material and colourful palette is deeply rooted and built upon his training at the Auchi Polytechnic in Edo State where he graduated with a distinction in painting. His technique is largely dependent on the size of the piece he works on. When he works on large pieces, he pastes solid flip flops on large canvases with glue and thereafter grout and stitch for permanence and endurance. When he works on small canvases, he cuts the flip flops into tesserae and paste them on canvas without stitching.

Konboye’s subjects are usually children. He puts up portraits of children to reference their innocence, simplicity and unadulterated thoughts as a metaphor to the innocence of flip flops in environmental degradation. He connects process with subject by comparing his complicated and labour-intensive process with the training of children. As a parent carefully selects what he teaches or feeds his child so does Konboye carefully create his works.

Konboye was greatly influenced by the teachings of Kent Onah who encouraged exploration of unconventional materials and recycling of solid wastes to manage environmental degradation. In 2016, he trained at the Universal Studios of Art under the guidance of Abiodun Olaku and Wallace Ejoh. Konboye was a resident artist with Omooba Yemisi Shyllon Art Foundation (OYASAF) in 2019, and was selected among other mosaic artists around the world for the International Mosaic Symposium, Patagonia. He has also been interviewed by Reuters, BBC, Agence France-Presse, Ruptly and many others.

Oluwaseyi Akinwumi

Oluwaseyi Akinwumi was born in Lagos Nigeria. Since her childhood, she found great fulfillment in her creative passion. In 2012, she graduated from Warwick University, Coventry, where she studied supply chain and logistics management. On getting back to Nigeria after studies in the UK, she decided to pursue her considerable talent, amongst the art community in Lagos which afforded her the opportunity to rub elbows with artists, sculptures and cross disciplinary works of art. It was an environment in which Seyi thrived. She continued to hone her skills while working a 9 to 5, learning via intuition and experimentation. In late 2020, she decided to take a chance on herself by transitioning into full time studio art practice. Seyi’s work reference is deeply rooted in exploring memories within herself, her immediate environment and observation from her native Nigeria. She enjoys the use of mediums such as Indian ink and watercolor because of its fluidity and flexibility “water cannot be easily controlled, it just flows.”

She adopts other mediums like collage texture, vibrant colors of acrylic, charcoal and crayons; as well as other environmentally friendly materials; weaving them together to showcase snippets of her most intimate moments to the audience. Her titles likewise describe the interactions within the paintings themselves while at the same time alludes to external associations.

Noma Osula

Noma Osula is a young Nigerian born and based photographer who tends to build his own perception of beauty in relation to the world as opposed to the common perspective, thereby exploring the sense of self value and cultural appreciation. His work often involves the use of textures, vibrant colours and gestures which draws inspiration from the regularity of an everyday life in his environment often with rural appeal and influence. He also employs a slight integration of fashion and minimalism helps build the aesthetics of his images. He attempts to mirror his character in his images which molds itself around isolation, contrast, blend of the contemporary and retrospective, anonymity and gestures. He was named in British Journal of Photography’s annual Ones to Watch list in 2018 as well as W Magazine’s Photographers to Watch, in 2019. His work has been profiled by CNN, Vice Magazine, Nataal Magazine and has worked with brands like JZO, Maliko, Grey and Shekudo.

Artist Statement

STUDY 0045 is part of a continuous experimental series of images that explore beauty in a way that contradicts conventional standards. The series present the familiar back view of several loved ones and aims to explore and celebrate beauty with its portrayal of form in its raw essence. The study simply defines beauty in its own language.