Artsdiscourse

By: Mathew B. Oyedele His studio walls were barely empty except for a painting that drapes a corner of the studio. He was working on a portrait of two women who wore bright expressions on their faces. I was about to ask him why his works were not on display when he delved into a corner of his studio and took me on a voyage of ankara interaction. I could not refuse the captivating rhythm that encapsulated my mind from his artistic oeuvre. I came across his works through the social media and I was attracted by his intricate use of Ankara as a medium of expression. I studied his works as he uploaded them at intervals and made an appointment to visit him in his studio. “My use of ankara is something that came from the blood. It was a gift from my mother. I think she passed that gift to me indirectly. Instead of me becoming a tailor, I see myself sewing those clothes on canvas”; this was his response when I asked him about his discovery of the medium. Uzoma is not a social co...

Walking into the Quintessence Gallery for the Soulfulness exhibition I was greeted by a host of decorative items that almost made me ask if I was at the right venue. I lingered between the displayed crafts long enough to observe a detour through the staircase at the western side of the hall. Curiously, I joined the detour and listened as one of the artists took the chairman of the exhibition on a voyage of artistic interaction. Gele o dun I tarried on the staircase as I perused the works by a group of artists who cohered to engage in consistent research and inquiries into the realm of robust visual images with boarderless outcomes. I noticed a melting pot of artistic discourse as well as a potpourri of diverse content. Diversity however is appreciated when large volumes of content, thematic approach and subject matters are explored in a single exhibition of many artists. The leader of the group, Kunle Adeyemi projects the unending movement of destiny in the growth an...