A Subtle Reflection, an exhibition of recent works by Saga Adeoluwa, Raji Bamidele and Ken Nwadiogbu is on display at the Omenka Gallery in Ikoyi, Lagos.
The exhibition which opened on Friday, April 14, runs through April 30, 2023.
According to a statement by the gallery,
Adeoluwa views his art as a medium for self-expression and a means to tell stories which he considers an important conduit for transmitting and communicating healing images. While Bamidele, a figurative artist, christens his curious blend of hyperrealism and the conceptual, “puzzled realism.” Then there’s Nwadiogbu, whose work ranges from charcoal and pencil drawings to collage, sculpture, and performance art.
According to Adeoluwa; “There is nothing more apt in defining openness and vulnerability, than applying the device of nakedness to address issues around mental health.”
Hence, with each piece thoughtfully crafted to evoke an emotional response from the viewer, the artist splurges on vivacious colours and forms that draw the viewer in, encouraging them to reflect on their own experiences and perceptions with the intent to stimulate meaningful conversations and engage the audience in a profound and introspective exploration of their emotions.
Bamidele on the other hand undertakes his exploration with several media, majorly charred coal with which he enriches his canvas surface with moods and varied textures, accentuated by a palette of black, white, rhinestone and gold. His increasingly dark layers of coal, often in the form of symbols and intricate patterns underscore the socio-political and historical preconceptions surrounding ‘blackness’ and its universal implications. This multi-faceted approach involving the weaving of differing materials and methods peculiar to both contemporary and modern art forms, calls into question the existence of time and being.
Indeed, his work fuses apparent contradictions; the infinite and the finite, immortality and mortality, the microcosm and macrocosm while synchronising the philosophical, microscopic, decadent, spectacular and the invisible. Through this approach, he seeks to heighten the experience of the viewer by creating immersive environments that transport into other worlds.
Nwadiogbu’s work centres around themes of Black representation, gender, and African culture. Nwadiogbu has held solo exhibitions in London and Los Angeles; his work has also been presented at various art fairs including the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair and ART X Lagos. He refers to his work as “Contemporealism,” a compound word reflecting his use of contemporary materials in a hyperrealist vein. Nwadiogbu’s most notable works include a human silhouette; inside the shape are hyper realistic eyes or parts of a face drawn in black and white. These partially obscured faces, which are usually layered against colourfully painted scenes, convey themes of consciousness and collective reality.
Omenka Gallery is a leading art gallery in Nigeria and Africa, representing a fine selection of established and emerging contemporary Nigerian and international artists working in diverse media.
With a particular focus on ensuring a sustainable presence for Nigerian and African art within a larger global context, Omenka regularly participates in major international art events like; Art Dubai, UAE; The Armory Show, New York; the Joburg Art Fair; Cape Town Art Fair; Cologne Paper Art; LOOP, Barcelona; the London Art Fair and 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, London.
Omenka also offers to its esteemed clients a range of advisory services including appraisals, collections management, training and professional development, art finance, as well as industry reports and due diligence. Our in-depth knowledge is drawn from our diverse backgrounds built over 13 years, running and managing one of the leading galleries on the continent, consulting for other important galleries, auction houses and museums, and participating in prestigious events all over the world.
In association with Revilo, Omenka has an active publications programme and produces exquisite catalogues with informed, scholarly texts to accompany its schedule of solo, group and large themed exhibitions, through which it stimulates critical thought and discourse centred on contemporary art development in Nigeria, as well as Africa and its diaspora.
