SMO Contemporary Art is delighted to present Kindred Spirits, an exhibition of paintings and mixed media works by two accomplished Nigerian experimental artists, Tayo Olayode & Ade Odunfa, hosted by the Wheatbaker. The exhibition features thirty-two works that explore the dynamic interplay between texture and form, while questioning the effects of technology on our mental well being, creativity, and identity. Kindred Spirits presents a unique perspective of two artists whose creative roots are intertwined, from being born in the same neighbourhood, to both graduating with a degree in fine arts from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria in 1998, to tracing twenty-five years of close collaboration and friendship.
Welcome to Kindred Spirits, a world of rich textures and nuanced critique, created by Tayo Olayode and Ade Odunfa, two important, mid-career, experimental artists who have joined forces to exhibit their latest work, after twenty-five years of friendship and joint artistic practice.
What is unique about this duo is that they were in the same graduating class at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, northern Nigeria, in 1998, both specializing in painting. Even as students, they walked a convergent artistic path, often referred to as “Twins” because they both grew up in Ogun state, had a similar physique and cultural roots, and worked together on many projects.
From their youth their creative language was complimentary but different. Olayode was influenced by the technical precision of his mentors, Abayomi Barber and Abiodun Olakun, whose studios he worked with before heading to university. At Ahmadu Bello, his politically motivated paintings and mixed media works using discarded objects, often challenged accepted norms, even daring to critique his art professors, who gave him high grades for his audacious creations, much to the amazement of fellow students.
On the other hand, Odunfa started studying urban and regional planning before changing his course to study art. He began with vibrant equestrian scenes and realistic portraits, before experimenting with finely patterned textiles.
Moving to Lagos after graduation, the two quickly made a name for themselves, using Iponri Art Studios, set up by Olayode and Osagie Imofia, to organize regular group exhibitions with colleagues from the Guild of Professional Artists.
Besides working on numerous large-scale sculptural commissions in public areas in Lagos and Port Harcourt, both artists continued their individual studio practice, painting and experimenting with up-cycled waste and household materials. They worked with rubber slippers, charcoal, beer and soft-drink cans, cutlery, newspaper, and lace textile from traditional Nigerian outfits, to depict typical scenes within their communities, documenting the economic pressures, societal and cultural strictures, and the influence of technology on artistic practice and identity.
Olayode’s latest portrait series of fragmented faces with multiple eyes and mouths are an exploration of both interconnection and alienation affecting the mental health of a society hooked on social media. In Manipulate I & II, he questions how technology affects our sense of self and our understanding of human creativity, through headless figures floating in a complex maze of intertwined lines and circuitry, painting a seemingly un-hinged, dystopian universe.
In his Flip Flop series, Olayode creates assemblages of tiny, colorful fragments of sliced up rubber slippers, the cheapest and most common footwear of millions of people across the continent. These intricate mosaics depict typical scenes within densely populated urban neighborhoods such as “Help me push, abeg”, where a passenger is forced to push a motorbike taxi, the most cost-effective form of transport popularly called “Okadas”. Through this ironic role reversal, Olayode comments on the dashed hopes of millions of youth who aspire to better their lives in under-served poor communities, but end up pushing the system meant to enable them.
In “ Generator Generation” Olayode depicts young men huddled over a generator, probably trying to get it to work, commenting on the ubiquitous energy crisis hampering daily life across Nigeria. Each colorful scene reminds us of the challenges faced by millions of city-dwellers and their aspirations for more equitable access to fundamental resources and dreams of a better life.
Olayode’s mixed-media wall hangings of amorphous shapes, created out of twisted, knotted and woven metal, newspaper, charcoal, and galvanized wires, shows another side to this talented artist’s engagement with up-cycled materials, inspired by the works of famous Ghanaian artist, El Anatsui and reminiscent of charcoal works by his contemporary, Uchay Joel Chima. Olayode’s heavy dyptichs and tryptich friezes, like The Flow reveal the artist’s fresh interpretation of materials which echo the fluid lines found in his paintings.
In sharp contrast, Odunfa’s solitary portraits of female figures, are painted on expensive lace fabrics typically used to sew the flamboyant traditional outfits Lagosians wear to social events. His fascination with vintage textiles grew to working with monumental installations in the mid 2000’s, when he got a few commissions for art in public spaces.
His famous 70 ft (21 meters) stainless steel catfish, Eja Nla, became an iconic landmark at the Abraham Adesanya roundabout in Ajah, Lagos. His largest installation is a 200ft (60 meter) hanging aquatic installation at the Port Harcourt airport, in which he created an entire riverine scene with canoes, fishermen and aquatic life, suspended over the bustling crowds of passengers catching flights.
Odunfa’s passion for interactive installations was fueled when he worked with the Lagos Carnival project for seven years, focusing on art & performance by designing and building the colorful, thematic floats admired by festival goers, reflecting the rich culture of the city.
But in “Kindred Spirits”, Odunfa takes us back into his private studio world, where his painting gives him a therapeutic break from his large scale projects. In his Sunday Morning series he appears to comment on the role of religion on traditional culture by painting portraits of demure young women in simple dresses, adorned with a single flower in their hair, each subject painted with a golden halo. He accentuates his subjects’ strong unwavering gaze, by juxta-posing their penetrating stares against the light flutter of butterflies. Odunfa’s women appear confident and proud, embracing their meta-physical existence, accentuated by the swirling organic leaf patterns, which he cuts out of the fabric pasted on across his canvases.
These highly textured and perforated portraits, many in side profile featuring flamboyant headscarves and traditional head wraps called “gele”, celebrate the beauty and elegance of African adornment and Yoruba culture. In contrast, he paints monochrome faces of young children, covered with a fine layer of patterned symbols and flowers painted in high relief in his Siblings series, drawing our focus towards the dominance of lines and shapes. The Siblings are a good counter-point to Olayode’s focus on line and movement, with both artists’creating a veil of subtle textures across the faces of their subjects, hinting that more lies below the surface of things.
Kindred Spirits is an exhibition of 15 works by each artist, showcasing an exciting diversity of technique, materials, stylistic interpretation, and color. Olayode and Odunfa remind us of the exciting flow between friends who have walked a similar creative path for a quarter of a century, and still find inspiration and challenges in each others’ work.
We are grateful to the Wheatbaker for hosting this exhibition, and trust you will enjoy the deeper meaning behind these stunning works.
Sandra Mbanefo Obiago
Curator
