ArtXLagos was one of the finest art fairs I have seen in a while. It put the spotlight on Art from Africa and diaspora like no other. From 476 artworks I have selected 32 here on top of my previous post of 27. It was difficult to narrow down the select few but a pleasure to show the final few. I like Victor Ubah's Rest and his rendering of a fragmented body done in black and white. It is a dramatic finish and a beautiful piece of art. Morgan Mahape's beaded work is a feast for the eyes. How painstaking it must have been to put it together is beyond me. Nana Opoku's serene portrayal of a man holding a large jar on top of his head walking down a beautiful path is breathtaking. Meanwhile Ugandan born Henry Mzili Mujunga;s warrior with orange background 2 2020 shows the loving embrace of two sports lovers entangled in their affection for each other and for their sport. Daniel Onguene's Pause commentaires shows a couple on a shopping excursion wholly engrained in what they are doing. We look but can't see their intentions. They are alone against a puzzling background. Olufemi Oyewole's Coded Message shows a beautiful young woman with paint on her face and body highlighting her features. She's calmly taking in what's happening before her, her portrait cemented in history.
1 Victor Ubah, Rest, 2022, Nigerian
2 Morgan Mahape, Nini nanini, 2021, South Africa
3 Nana Opoku, Striving, 2020, Ghanaian
4 Henry Mzili Mujunga, warrior with orange background 2, 2020, Ugandan
5 Daniel Onguene, Pause commentaires, 2022, Cameroonian
6 Olufemi Oyewole, Coded Message, 2022, Nigerian
Rachel Marsil's Tell me again is an abstract portraiture of a young man in the throes of his youth. His features excacerbated to show a different side of his personality. He's patiently waiting for the painting to be finished and we are pleased with the final rendering.
7 Rachel Marsil, Tell me again, 2022, French
Themba Khumalo's Izulu 2022 is a dramatic take on a nightly sky. The atmosphere is heavenly and we wish to know what comes next.
8 Themba Khumalo, Izulu, 2022, South African
Chukwudubem Ukaigwe's in waterlogged dreams 2021, we see a woman holding a large container of things, her face tired from the labour she has to undergo. Juxtaposed against what look like expensive apartment buildings we can only wonder what goes on inside her. Is she just passing by or is she a part of the lifestyle before us? We don't know.
9 Chukwudubem Ukaigwe, In waterlogged dreams, 2021, Nigerian
I like David Olatoye's Christmas eve as it shows a more colourful take on a holiday common to many. We see an apartment with bookshelves and a stained glass window. In the center is a portrait of a young black woman with the bluest eyes bringing the scene together. We are at home and we are awaiting the special event.
10 David Olatoye, Christmas eve, 2022, Nigerian
Elladj Lincy Deloumeaux's portrait is a beautiful rendering of a young male. The outside of his eyes appear blue and match the lighter blue of his collar and shirt. It's a pensive image with the male staring at something other than us. He's thinking of something but of what we don't know.
11 Elladj Lincy Deloumeaux, Untitled, 2022, Guadeloupean
Thierry Oussou's Le Deux 2019 is a pictorial mystery. We don't know quite what we're looking at. Is it a skeleton or abstracted figure. We'll never guess correctly. But the colours help in bringing this piece together. It remains to be pondered.
12 Thierry Oussou, Le Deux, 2019, Beninese
Gbolahan Ayoola's artwork is an abstract work of a male prince. We see the crown and we see the one eye and wonder what is at hand before us. Who is he and where does he rule we wonder.
13 Gbolahan Ayoola, Green Prince II, 2022, Nigeria
Victorien Bazo's has sensuality at the heart of Sometimes where life starts 2022. The bodies here are muscular and ready to be joined. It is reminiscent of a Western painting depicting mythological creatures. Here they are again, in their own character channeling a vivid sexuality. The water pouring out like life itself we see life before us. The couple are intertwined and the woman handing over a headpiece is hanging over them like an angel. The children below are taking it all in. What a masterpiece it is.
14 Victorien Bazo, Sometimes where life starts, 2022, Cameroonian
Ngimbi Bakambana's Olympia is a wonderful take on the traditional artwork. Her body extended towards us and her features ample she is looking away from us. But the colours bring everything together. She waits and is waited on and there is a child in the corner. She is aware of her powerful sexuality and doesn't shy from hiding anything.
15 Ngimbi Bakambana, Olympia, 2021, Congolese
Herve Yamguen's Refais ta foret, 2022 is a curious painting with features floating throughout the work. We see a manly figure in the centre waving in our direction while a score of eyes dance throughout the forest that portray more figures. There are many faces to be seen once we look closely and the rain like background shows the features more movingly.
16 Herve Yamguen, Refais ta foret, 2022, Cameroonian
Nike and Tola Were are cousins with different professions here showcasing a group of women with eyes made red just like their lips. It is an interesting portrayal and we wonder where these women are going. They are dressed sharply and smartly and this collaboration is something else to be considered.
17 Nike and Tola Were, Upholding my culture, 2020, Nigerian
Wosene Korke Kosrof's The American Dream is an abstract piece that has to be considered in the context of the authors homeland. Is the artist dreaming of another land or has he already left and came back. We don't know but what we see is a collage of black, blue and red and mustard. The painting itself is a question mark. Is it earmarked for the American Dream or is it happy where it is.
18 Wosene Worke Kosrof, The American Dream, 2020, Ethiopian
Ishola Akpo's Ahwando is a beautiful photograph of a Beninese man in the forest. He's holding onto a piece of hanging wood and staring at the viewer. He's comfortable as we are and are happy to take in what we see. His body is half-naked and we realize he is maybe at work or perhaps leisure. He's in a different environment than us and that's clear.
19 Ishola Akpo, Ahwando 03, 2017, Beninese
Monica de Miranda's photograph depicts two women in uniform in front of a forest. Are they workers with a place nearby or simply posing for the photograph. We can't tell. The photo is cut in six but the women remain in the centre piece. The foliage is what strikes us profoundly. The leaves are gigantic and hover over the two women encasing them in the scene before us.
Monica de Miranda, When words escape flowers speak from the series twins, 2017, Portuguese
Nonzuzo Gxekwa's photograph shows a profile of a young man. His beautiful features are fully on display here and we're not shy to admit what we see. Turned away from us he is seen and remains aloof. We don't know much beyond that. There's no hint of recognition.
21 Nonzuzo Gxekwa, Untitled VI, 2020, South African
I like Oluwafunke Oladimeji's work the more I look at it. The scene is one of a city going to sleep. We see houses with the lights on and full moon in the sky. We wonder what is happening in these homes as the night falls down. It's a busy scene and the homes are close together. Whether it's a village or a city we're not quite sure but we see a landscape that appeals to us over and over again.
22 Oluwafunke Oladimeji, Oke Idanre ca. 2021 2022, Nigerian
Odinakachi Okoroafor artwork is that of a girl in white. Her dress and hair a both alike and she is dressed up to go somewhere. Whether it's a wedding remains to be seen. Her features are made in black and white and her body set against foliage. Her dress is curiously see through and her painted nails are the same colour as her lips. She's ready for something we're just not quite sure what.
23 Odinakachi Okoroafor, Urunwa, 2022, Nigerian
Moustapha Baidi Oumarou's shows a celebration of sorts hidden by black palm leaves. The figures are dressed casually and what remains of their features are flowers and nothing else. We can't see their features. They're dressed in green and their hair is pink and grey. They are playing in the street and we are happy to be a part of it.
24 Moustapha Baidi Oumarou, Jeu de rue, 2022, Cameroonian
Justin Ebanda's artwork is that of a young boy coming from somewhere. His features are hidden by the colour that is intentionally blackened out, and we can't tell much about the character except for the background behind us. Is is a shopping scene we're looking at or is he simply coming from school? The answer remains unclear. He is dressed up and holding something on the way to somewhere.
25 Justin Ebanda, Hidden at memory.cm 2021, Cameroonian
Taiye Idahor's artwork is an incredulous piece of work. It is a headpiece for certain done in white and orange. The beads carefully strewn to create something magical. The white masks what would be the features and we wonder what occasion one might wear one of these for.
26 Taiye Idahor, lvie series, 2022, Nigeria
I love the luscious landscape in Megan Gabrielle Harris's masterpiece. We see a girl playing with a flower and lying down on the ground. She is at peace with her surroundings and we relax upon seeing her. The mountains before us are calm rather than rugged and blend in perfectly with her white dress.
27 Megan Gabrielle Harris, Ruminations, 2022, American
Tamibe Eliakim Bourdanne's photograph is of a woman dressed up in a beautiful costume. She is looking away and wants to remain that way. We don't know what she is dressed up for, whether its for some ritual or other occasion? We can't answer that question. But there is beauty before us. Her legs are long and her body lithe. She stands before a table in a home with shuttered windows. We are in awe of her image.
28 Tamibe Eliakim Bourdanne, Sagacious lady unmasked, 2022 Tchad
Vincent Michea's photograph shows two female friends dressed up for an occasion. Their outfits juxtapose against the pink flowers that surround them and we are happy to see their jovial sprit. Nothing is missing here except for their location. Where are they and what are they doing we wonder.
29 Vincent Michea, Hello girlfriends, 2021, French
Talut Kareem's artwork is of young man painted in black polka dots and surrounded by balloons. Four people are handing him flowers but his face remains expressionless. The balloons are also painted in polka dots. And by the title we wonder if we're seeing the fashion designer Virgil Abloh. Curiously no logo is shown and the man, dressed in black doesn't take any flowers. He remains aloof and deeply composed.
30 Talut Kareem, Flowers for Abloh, 2022, Nigeria
I love Oliver Okolo's portraits; I think they're wonderful. Here we see a young couple with their youth on full display. They're both looking at us and not at each other and the lush green background can only help in tying up the details of what this painting means. Are they in love or simply acquainted? We'd need another painting to help us answer that.
31 Oliver Okolo, Love in a Green Heaven, 2022, Nigerian
Justice Mukheli is another artist I'm deeply fond of. His quiet and composed figures are rendered beautifully. Here we see a young man with his hand behind his back. We see his profile and we wonder at the title. What is he getting himself into and why?
32 Justice Mukheli, This doesn't have to hurt more than it already does, 2022, South African
Opeyemi Matthew Olukotun's Deep 2022, is richly rendered to show the woman's features as best as possible. Her hair frames her face and there is quiet beauty here. The eyes jump at her face as we look at her shirt a deep orange with yellow and blue and green polka dots. The shirt brings out her features and emphasizes the colour of her skin. Her face is like a photograph, so justly painted and carefully done.
32 Opeyemi Matthew Olukotun, Deep, 2022, Nigeria
No comments:
Post a Comment