O’DA Art Gallery yesterday opened its doors to the public for an exhibition by two celebrated Nigerian artists.
Tagged: “The Ascendancy of Machine”, the exhibition brings together the works of Olu Amoda and Kelani Abass; and runs from October 29th to November 19th, 2022.
In today’s digital era, the world has evolved in its modes of creation, its dissemination of information and social engagement.
Both artists take art lovers and collectors on a journey into the influence of modern technology that has paved the way for multi-functional practices that ultimately make life easier for the masses.
Through “The Ascendancy of Machine”both artists are calling for a shift in ideals, focusing primarily on encouraging a more progressive and forward-thinking environment.
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Working as a sculptor, muralist, furniture designer, and multimedia artist, Amoda, who currently lives and works in the United States, is best known for using repurposed materials found from the detritus of consumer culture. In this exhibition, his works often incorporate rusty nails, metal plates, bolts, pipes, and rods, that are welded together to create figures, animals, flora and ambiguous forms. His seminal body of work, Sunflower, explores the connection between mass industry and the organic, winning top prize at the DAK’ART Biennale in Dakar, Senegal in 2014.
In his usual tradition, his installations, in this exhibition, feature diverse sculptures his ram series and other works made from
Abass uses mixed media in this exhibition to highlight his thematic preoccupation, “Man and Machine”.
“I’m calling on our leaders and the society at large to brace up to global technological advancement but they should also invest in manpower or should I say labour force as well. They need to be prepared for the technological advancement that is taking place across all fields,” Abass said.
He has won several awards including the Caterina De Medici/3rd Black Heritage 1st Prize in painting in 2010. Abaa has taken part in numerous artist residencies and is attending a residency programme at the Headlands Center for the Arts in San-Francisco in October-November 2018.
“The exhibition is an art conversation of sorts between the two awardwinning artists. The artists and their works are phenomenal. O’DA is proud to be holding the art show and excited to be working with the two artists,” according to the exhibition’s curator, Sunshine Alaibe.
Established in 2020, O’DA Art Gallery has a dual focus on championing mid-career and established contemporary artists from Africa and its diaspora. For it’s founder/Director, Obida Obioha, the unifying thread interweaving the works of the two artists is the desire to spread beauty while calling attention to the “importance of Man and machine”.
Obida, who trained at Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan, seem to have a sharp eye for art that works by fusing African Aesthetics with a Contemporary nod. He says: “Bridging the gap between local and international audiences, our gallery is committed to showcasing artists like Amoda and Abass, who explore a wide range of themes such as, identity, technology, political commentary, social consciousness and environmental change. , exhibitions, installations and performances.”
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