Art-at-Ouida is a walk-through exhibition space, showing accessible, contemporary artworks that won’t burn a hole in your pocket. Utilising the three floors of the newly-refurbished Ouida, this exhibition takes you on a journey through the Arts. At Ouida, you are sure to find something to fall in love with.
Curator’s Note
For August, we explore the power of visual stories – specifically how the participating artists use line, colour, texture and composition to document shared as well as personal human experiences. Their visual languages tell us stories either as a moment, an ongoing idea or as an array of events that unfold over time. The figures that appear in all exhibited works inhibit the power to arrest our gaze, evoke strong emotions, and unify some of our shared aspirations and truths. Just like a good story should!
This month we focus not necessarily on how it was painted but also on what was painted. Whether acrylic or oil on canvas using paint drip or impasto techniques, Midegbeyan Osijua, Oluwaferanmi Okeowo, and Ifeanyi Ugbechie have communicated their inspirations and observations of various human experiences.
The predominant hues found in Midegbeyan’s female figures are sombre and united in colour value – greys, earth red, blues and yellow ochre. The combined paint application techniques as seen in “Dandelion” harmoniously bring together all the elements in the painting. His other oil paintings on canvas equally present subjects’ emotions that appear vulnerable, isolated, abstract and sometimes moody. However, the beauty, texture and detail that the viewer unveils about every subject is only achieved upon closer study of each painting. One is forced to pay attention in order to understand the story.
The impasto technique helps Oluwaferanmi enhance the story found in his paintings. The thick layers of paint as seen in “Orison” and “Path of Love” make the figures in the paintings stand out. The intense light and rich fabric that appear in the aforementioned paintings are further highlighted by the minutely applied textured quality of various paint hues. The sculptural and realistic effects of his paint application coupled with the play of bright light draw the viewer into every painting. Perhaps the artist wants us to participate in the subjects’ search for happiness, peace, love.
Ifeanyi uses various shades of blue to express the calmness and depth she associates with the colour. She communicates her personal experiences through a combination of light and expressive brushstrokes. “Phases I – III” is part of an ongoing series where Ifeanyi seeks to explore the human face as a major tool for non-verbal communication. Our various facial expressions serve as crucial companions to our state of mind – creating opportunities for us to tell our stories without the use of words.
Artists are storytellers; documenting the world around them. The story told by each painting is just as important as the type of paint, colour and technique used by the artist. The story behind each work is what often captures our interest and arrests our souls. We often never know where our stories may lead us but we stay the course because we are all storytellers to the end!
The show is on view through August 31, 2022 at Ouida Lagos.
Seun Alli
Curator and Founder, JCAA
