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
The impasto painting technique has been used extensively since its birth. Impressionist painters have expressively used texture in their paintings to showcase colour vibrancy and emotional intensity by applying paint thickly to canvas and causing brush strokes to stand out from the rest of the composition.
This technique in varying degrees is what Victoria Oniosun and Ibraheem Sodiq have both employed in their presented works. Clinton Ogunshola, on the other hand, has created smooth surfaces for his portraits – giving them a realistic finish. In all sixteen exhibited works this month, we experience the artists’ interpretations of bold colours, familiar subjects and their emotional states.
Victoria Oniosun responsibly pays homage to women’s private and social lives. She adopts a “broken colour” technique to tell authentic and vulnerable stories about her subjects who are all female. She highlights their friendships, vulnerabilities and future possibilities of existence as seen in “Besties 1 & 2”, “Fragility” and “Sitting Pretty” respectively. Her thickly applied combination of colours sometimes create movements within the painting; possibly a metaphor for the continuous shift that her subjects encounter.
Ibraheem Sodiq uses impasto in his portraits of babies to encourage the viewer to connect with their inner child. The portraits capture both precious and ordinary moments that one experiences in relation with a child. He successfully uses impasto painting to depict an ever changing aspect of our lives – our moods. The combination of flattened and raises textures prominently capture the heart of his subjects as seen in “Radiance” and “Bliss”
Clinton Ogunshola presents his subject matter, also women, whether veiled or otherwise, in a very realistic manner, with great attention to detail and free of unpleasant elements. The form, perspective and details such as light are allowed to exist as they truly are. The representation of the subjects and their emotions are also not overstated. So is his colour composition – it is elegant and carries a captivating undertone.
This month’s presentation showcases the works of three recent art school graduates – specifically how the surface of their paintings, smooth or textured, helps to convey their moods and the expressions of their chosen subjects.
The show is on view through July 30, 2022 at Ouida Lagos.
Seun Alli
Curator and Founder, JCAA
