Sculpting the City 1

Sculpting the City 1 Sculpting the City Sculpting the City Olu Raqib Alimi Richardson Ayanfe Amoda Bashorun Adewale Ovbiebo Olarinde Dare Emmanuel Rotimi Segun Adenuga Adeyemi Oligbinde Okewumi 2 Sculpting the City Sculpting the City Working primarily in wood, Alimi Adewale’s sculp- materiality and technique in sculptural practice tures explore contemporary issues ranging from while also examining the social realities in which Gallery solitude, as informed by current happenings, to these objects are produced. The sculptures, be- the beauty and history of place and the impor- yond their aesthetic qualities, serve as reposito- Statement tance of free speech in modern cities. Ayanfe ries of knowledge and reference points in the con- Olarinde’s Somewhere In-Between considers how tinuous dialogue with modern societies. changing social structures and values in commu- nities bring about a state of liminality — where the This would be the first exhibition by the gallery to past is momentarily negated and the future has open to the public since the global COVID-19 lock- yet to begin — and ultimately transformation. In- down. However in light of the imposed restriction corporating found and industrial objects such as on movement and public gatherings in the coun- Rele Gallery is pleased to present Sculpting the historians in understanding the daily workings of wheels, doors, perspex, wood and metal, Richard- try, the exhibition, while installed physically in the City, a sequel to Material Times and the second these ancient cities. Sculpture — in both medium son Ovbiebo ‘Neighbours’ series dissect issues in gallery space will be accessed virtually by the iteration of the gallery’s engagement with purely and form — has since then undergone a constant urban planning, power shortages and socio-eco- public. sculptural forms. An exhibition of sculptures and evolution in its engagement with contemporary nomic gaps, which are all magnified in a rapidly installations by contemporary Nigerian artists societies. We are currently witnessing an emer- developing city like Lagos. who have found the city as an important texture in gence of artistic talents and practice broadening Presenting work across various media, Sculpting their work, Sculpting the City is designed as a way the scope of this collectible medium. the City aims to add to the existing discourse on to examine the dynamic relationship between the city — as ever evolving, occupied space — and The bodies of work featured were carefully select- contemporary sculptural practice. The exhibition ed to expand the existing discourse on current considers the ways in which the built space influ- modes of sculptural expression and to also ex- ences and shapes artistic expression in contem- plore the dialogue between object and audience. porary Nigerian art. Exhibiting artists are Olu Amoda, Alimi Adewale, Raqib Bashorun, Dare Adenuga, Ayanfe Olarinde, Sculptural practice has from the time of its incep- Richardson Ovbiebo, Emmanuel Adeyemi, Segun tion been a significant part of Nigerian art histo- Okewumi and Rotimi Oligbinde. ry, serving as conduits of memory and shedding light on economic and socio-political realities of From early works such as Olu Amoda’s Sunflower past civilisations. From the ancient Nok terracot- , to the recent installation by Emmanuel Adeyemi tas to the magnificent bronzes of Ife and Benin Not Today Does the World End, Not Tomorrow, t he to carved masks among various tribes in Nigeria, exhibition explores issues of consumerism, pol- these objects have been instrumental to modern lution and recycling prevalent in modern cities. 4 5 Sculpting the City Olu Amoda Olu Amoda Sculpting the City Olu Amoda Born in 1959, Olu Amoda is best recognised for his metal sculptural works gathered from industrial waste which serve as subtle commentary on the growing culture of consumerism and waste in modern African cities. In his work, Sunflower Amoda explores the residual, collective memory of material in creating new forms. Comprising 2000 tiny blooms that create a bright sun-like glow, this complex yet delicate work is a representation of the artist’s mastery of his medium and his fascination with repurposed materials. This use of materials — sourced from various sites including containers that arrived at Lagos’s Tin Can Island port bearing luxury goods for the Nigerian elite and the growing middle-class — function as subtle commentary on the growing culture of consumerism and lack of industrial agency in modern African societies. The work presented here is one of eighteen iterations on the study of the sunflower with one iteration part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Black Civilization in Senegal which was awarded the prestigious joint winner of Le Grand Prix Léopold Sedar Senghor at the 2014 Dakar biennial. Amoda is the founder of Riverside Art and Design Studios in Lagos, and since 1987 continues to teach Sculpture and Drawing at the School of Art, Design and Printing at Yaba College of Technology in Lagos. His work can be found in many local and international collections including the New Ark Museum in New Jersey, USA, and he has exhibited over the world: The Museum of Art & Design, USA, the Victoria & Albert Museum, UK and the 6th Biennale de L’Art African Contemporain, Senegal. Sunflower| 48 x 48 inches | Mixed Media | 2019 6 7 Sculpting the City Raqib Bashorun Raqib Bashorun Sculpting the City Raqib Bashorun Born in 1955, Raqib Abolore Bashorun studied at Yaba College of Technology before going to the University of Missouri, Columbia for his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Art Education and Master’s in Fine Arts (1984). He also holds a MFA in Sculpture with a minor in Drawing (2002). Bashorun reconstructs pre-existing materials, reinterprets and ultimately repurposes them as recycled art. He is interested in issues of waste, recycling and environmental sustainability In his work, Bashorun satirises the economic imbalance in contemporary Nigerian society. Incorporating found materials from his immediate environment, most notably metal in form of aerosol, tap heads and spark plugs, the works run commentary on the government inability to provide basic, sustainable amenities in most cities in Nigeria. Bashorun’s career as an artist and teacher is marked by significant exhibitions around the world. including participating in 13 solo exhibitions and featuring in over 26 group shows home and abroad. Unfulfilled Promises| Brass, Enamel , Paint, Spark Plug and Steel | 24 x 42 x 18 inches | 2016 8 9 Sculpting the City Raqib Bashorun Alimi Adewale Sculpting the City Alimi Adewale Born in 1974, Alimi Adewale is a painter and sculptor despite his mechanical engineering background. Incorporating elements of minimalism, expressionism and abstraction, Alimi’s work explores urban issues and the lives of everyday people in modern cities. His work challenges affected belief systems in and about Nigeria while exploring issues ranging from solitude — as informed by current happenings — as a catalyst for creative thinking, to the beauty and residual energies of African cities and civilisation. He also considers the importance of free speech without fear of retaliation or censorship in contemporary society. In 2016, Adewale participated in the Konstepidemins residency in Sweden, and in 2017 was an artist-in-residence at Miliki in Lagos. He has held exhibitions at Anima Gallery Doha, Belvedere Artspace Beirut, Galleri Astley Uttersberg, Just Africa Stockholm in Sweden, Alara in Lagos and also has featured in art fairs around the world with Nil Gallery Paris. Universtaff | Spark Plugs and Steel | 24 x 39 x 9 inches | 2016 10 11 Sculpting the City Alimi Adewale Alimi Adewale Sculpting the City Faceless | Acrylic on Wood | 17 x 5 x 8 Inches | 2019 Sisi II | Acrylic on Wood | 18 x 10 x 8 Inches | 2019 12 13 Sculpting the City Alimi Adewale Alimi Adewale Sculpting the City Afrocentric | Acrylic on Wood | 18 x 7 x 8 Inches | 2019 Faceless II | Acrylic on Wood | 18 x 5 x 8 Inches | 2019 14 15 Sculpting the City Alimi Adewale Alimi Adewale Sculpting the City Sisi | Wood | 18 x 8 Inches | 2019 Solitude | Wood | 16 x 6 x 7 Inches | 2019 16 17 Sculpting the City Richardson Ovbiebo Richardson Ovbiebo Sculpting the City Richardson Ovbiebo Richardson Ovbiebo is a sculptor and installation artist who explores the role individuals play in mirroring their environment through their actions and inactions and in the messages about daily life found in common materials. His work often incorporates found and industrial objects, such as wheels, doors, perspex, wood and metal,which speak to delineations between public and private space and the movement of the urban landscape. His ‘Neighbours’ series dissect issues in urban planning, power shortages and socio-economic gaps, which are all magnified in a rapidly developing city like Lagos. Exploring the materiality of wood and fibreglass as signifiers of old and new architectural processes respectively, his work speaks to a shared experience, memory and history embedded both in the built space and the people that occupy them. Richardson Ovbiebo graduated from Yaba College of Technology in 2007, majoring in sculpture. He has held solo exhibitions at the National Museum, Omenka Gallery, and A White Space in Lagos, and he has participated in group exhibitions at Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA Lagos) and Terra Kulture. He has also participated in group exhibitions in the United States, Ghana and Cameroon. In 2015, he completed an artist residency at the Vermont Studio Center, USA. Neighbours | Wood, fibre glass , Metal , Acrylics| 32 x 12 x 9 inches (h x b x w) | 2019 18 19 Sculpting the City Richardson Ovbiebo Ayanfe Olarinde Sculpting the City Ayanfe Olarinde Born in 1996, Ayanfe Olarinde graduated from the university of Lagos with a BSc in 2018. Largely self-taught, her oeuvre cuts across various disciplines including painting, sculpture, photography and digital art. Olarinde’s fascination with wire as material is drawn from an exploration of the fluidity of movement as well as the economy of lines.

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