Yinka Olatunbosun
On the trail of Nigeria’s 58th Independence celebration comes this fourth solo exhibition by Bolaji Ogunwo.
The show which will run from November 17 till 24 has the title, “Motions and Emotions”. Asides showcasing this collection of 58 paintings for Nigeria at 58, the prolific painter is also marking his 40th birthday.
Through his body of works, Ogunwo interrogates Nigeria’s socio-economic and political realities which had been his preoccupation as a conscious artist. For instance, his 2017 solo exhibition at Chuck Gallery, Manchester, UK titled, “Spillage” examines the socio-economic reality of Nigeria’s oil rich nature.
Incidentally, this artist who teaches at the Department of Creative Art, University of Lagos, Akoka, works predominantly with oil for most of the works in this show for obvious reasons.
“Nigeria is an oil-producing state hence I have produced 95 per cent of the impasto paintings in oil. The repertoire is what I have been able to produce not with crude oil but with the oil colour at my disposal.
“The aim of the show is to stimulate a contagious optimism that Nigeria will be great again against all odds,” he said.
Some of his works at this exhibition include, “How did we get here?”, “Where do we go from here?”, “Wind of Change “, “Arise o Compatriots”, “All will be well” and “A place called there”.
As suggested by the titles of his paintings, his message of hope is quite resounding.
“As enshrined in our national anthem, there lies a great and lofty height to attain where justice and peace shall reign. Through the lens of my palette, I lucidly perceive a ray of hope shining through,” Ogunwo said.
