SUPER NATURE EXHIBITION

My Curatorial Experience & Review of "Super Nature"

As one of the curators of the "Super Nature," exhibition it has taken me several weeks since its opening to fully process the curatorial, team, and audience experiences to write this piece about the exhibition.

Before the opening of the exhibition, team members knew the kind of experience that was about to hit the exhibiting artists and the audience who had been invited to this great opening. the team was making final touches to the installation and at the same time, thereby leaving room for art in itself. The curatorial statement was meticulously pasted and fixed on the wall near the gallery door entrance by myself and other team members.?

While all this was going on, the feeling that exuded from my face and the faces of every team member was that despite this being in a short time, the effort had already birthed an extraordinary success.?

When the gallery's doors were wide open to the guests, the expressions on their faces elated us and gave us the satisfaction of a job well done. This is not to claim that everything was perfect, but both the exhibiting artists and the audience reported a sense of complete satisfaction.?

The exhibition comprises ten artists showcasing their artistic rendition of various subject discourses; each of the artists, with their unique techniques and knowledge acquired during the residency, creatively manifests itself in each art piece presented at the exhibition, with each section of the exhibition starting from the opening body of work by Ololade Lawal, which captures the heart of the audience as to how the installation conveys the message she tries to communicate.

Ololade Lawal has deep roots in the rock city of Abeokuta, where she acquired her ancestral link. She began by absolving her late grandmother, reverently thinking about family dynamics. Her paintings took on a cobweb or plant root-like movement, with a human figure artistically positioned in a keyhole shape.

In adjacent directions to Ololade's "Till the Roots are at Peace," Priscila Akinremi pays homage to her childhood memoirs, reflecting on some melodic rhymes and the freedom she felt as an innocent child. In her four-part series, she precisely captures a portrait of two young children, Godwin and Boluwatife, in the backdrop. Her work in the show challenges us to think about these events, thereby instilling a sense of urgency in our contemporary situations.

Faith Omole takes the woman's body as a point of departure in highlighting the female body and the interconnectedness of the strength of a woman and how they wish to express their body concerning their personal decision and not by the influence of society. Her body of work is displayed on two walls at a 90-degree angle of the space. The symbolic patterns imbibed in her works carry much intentionality, requiring viewers to observe from a distance to fully grasp the intricate messages in each piece.?

Rebecca Akindunjoye’s moving thread, which she painstakingly weaves on canvas to narrate the eminent ‘Pride & Strength” exuded by the female body. She celebrates a woman's beauty, emotional courage, resourcefulness, and prowess in a more contemporary manner influenced by socio-cultural norms.

Still, within the context of celebrating Africa, women, and other elements that make up our existence, Obiwuru Esther embraces the affluence of African musical instruments played by women with striking poses. Each of her subjects assumes the position of a performer dressed in both modern and traditional outfits, playing each instrument with melodious sounds. Also, Esther wants her audience to pay close attention to each musical instrument, as they have origins and meaning as a symbol of communicating and passing a message. The musical instruments depicted in her drawing include “Oja (flute), Gangan (talking drum)," and “Shekere (beaded gourd rattle), among other instruments.?

Oluwaseyi Akinwumi wrestled with various mediums to explore the significance of cultural movements during her residency at Kuta Studio in the city of Abeokuta. She delved into the local wrestling traditions of the Yoruba people, particularly in Abeokuta, to examine their connection to human experiences, history, cultural heritage, communal identity, and practices. Through her project titled "Tapestry in Motion: Exploring Identity through Cultural Wrestling and Textile Traditions," she used textiles to showcase the Indigenous practices of the Egba people. Her work featured vibrant colors like red, yellow, and blue, and she utilized materials such as crochet wool to depict the movements and stories associated with cultural wrestling.

Chinecherem Ifedilichukwu trod on her first visit to the southwestern region of Nigeria, eager to immerse herself in a new cultural experience. During her residency, she sought to explore the cultural connection between the Abeokuta traditional Tie & Dye technique and the less prevalent Isiakwa traditional technique of Anambra. Her body of work consisted of four large-scale installations prominently displayed on the gallery walls, capturing viewers' attention with their vibrant colors and tones. By using the tie and dye technique on canvas, she aimed to bridge the gap between the two tribes and convey the message of enduring economic and emotional challenges, shedding light on societal issues in this part of the world.

Jadesola Olaniyan draws inspiration from the peace lily plant in her family's compound, which her grandmother, a horticulturist, planted. She also finds inspiration from the dragonfly, which symbolizes something greater and encourages viewers to see the world from a different perspective. Her body of work in the exhibition showcases paintings and pottery. The paintings, mostly in cool green colors, depict plants on small square canvases. The pottery works are displayed close to the paintings to offer a coherent interpretation of the artist's broader perspective.

In the opposite direction, Itunuoluwapelumi Omotoso captivates viewers with her ingenious installation. She has sculpted it using copper wires, incorporating warm lighting, sound installation, and a video element that documents conversations with community leaders, members, and other artists discussing human interaction with animals such as "Bats." Itunu's sculpture, titled "Where the Bats Roost," aims to shed light on human misconceptions, perceptions, and displacements experienced by various marginalized groups due to the dominance of Western/Arabian civilization and urban design principles in our culture.

Onesa Oruoghor creatively portrays the grievances and challenges faced by the Egba women in 1946 when they protested against the excessive tax imposed by the Alake kingdom. Onesa closely examined the similarities and impacts of the protests that coincided with Aba and Egba. "Sharing Protest—from Aba to Egbaland and Beyond" serves as a reminder of the socio-economic injustices and atrocities committed by the Alake of Egbaland under colonial influence. The video installation aims to create an immersive and interactive experience that connects past and present protest movements. The project seeks to promote a deeper understanding of the ongoing fight for justice and equality by drawing parallels between historical and contemporary struggles.

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To access the exhibition catalog: https://bit.ly/3XJo7ac

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