Distinct Vernaculars (A Group Exhibition) - Curatorial Statement
Artpedia Gallery is delighted to present Distinct Vernaculars, a group exhibition of works by Amarachi Odimba, Fredrick Idele, Olalekan Adeyemi, Dennis Onofua and Sadiq Ajibola Williams. Featuring narratives that are peculiar to the artists, the exhibition offers distinct visual languages that are devoid of over-flogged chronicles in the contemporary Nigerian art scene and presents works that signify an investigative and observatory journey into subject, medium and narrative.
Fredrick Idele presents works from his new series that addresses self-reflection, self-love and self-awareness. By exploring indigenous names, spontaneous figures, child-like lines and shapes, Fredrick invites the audience into a close interaction with his stylised portraits that put vulnerability, strength and the necessity of knowing and embracing oneself at the center stage.
Exploring and emphasizing process over form, Sadiq Ajibola Williams' abstract pieces capture the artist's aim to connect body, mind and soul in his series, Etchings of a Blade Painter. His practice of dancing and shadow boxing while painting adds rhythm to his process, one that links body and memory and unearths the self. By making scarifications and etchings on canvas, Sadiq is constantly looking at blurring generational lines within the confines of culture, tradition and history as he seeks to rediscover his deep roots.
Amarachi Odimba's delicate use of loose brushstrokes lend complexity to her delineation of colourful, dripping figures that are informed by personal experiences, human relationships and love for the human body. Here, Amarachi looks at differences between related individuals, empathy and enticement.
The deliberate and intentional distortion of form and expression is central to Dennis Onofua's aim of capturing and delineating the soul of his subjects. Playfully exploring the techniques of abstraction and figuration, the work here draws from Dennis' belief and view of different ways of seeing, receiving and processing information.
By exploring intricate and delicate lines and cracks, Olalekan Adeyemi examines the concept of rebirth, growth, time, transformation and human experience. In his new series, Family Values, Olalekan places the family as the foundation of a functional society and the only currency that cannot be devalued.
Mathew Oyedele
Curator
Distinct Vernaculars is slated to run from November 26 - December 23, 2022, at Artpedia Gallery, 1 Oluwakayode Jacobs Crescent, Off Freedom Way, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, Nigeria.
While you have almost a month to visit the gallery, you don’t want to miss the grand opening on Saturday, November 26, 2022. We’ve lined up a slew of creative engagements to delight you and the gallery will be brimming with other art lovers from around Lagos. Be sure to stop by!