A Solo Show for Wire Paintings
Yesterday, the first solo exhibition of wire paintings by Tolulope Michael Okunlola opened to the public at the National Museum In Onikan, Lagos. Titled, Audacious. This show is a compilation of experimental project by Okunola whose interest in using copper wire as a medium of painting led him on this audacious course.
The 2012 graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University originally specialised in painting. He began teaching art in secondary schools where he earned a very meagre salary. He kept developing his skills by locating a wire work centre where he could learn to make fashion accessories with copper wire. From time to time, he’d remind himself that he was an artist so he wasn’t going to be a jewel designer.
The wire work techniques opened his eyes to the possibilities of painting with copper wire. So, he invested a large chunk of his salary in wires. The first wire painting he attempted taught him some lessons.
“My salary then was N18,100 at the school in Ibadan. I would take N5,500 to buy the material and it wasn’t enough to complete the work. I thought to myself that this is an expensive venture so, I stopped for a while,’’ he said.
During his service year at Delta State, he was able to raise more money to buy the wires. In all, the first work took about four and a half months to complete. He was glad. Okunlola is not contented with being just an ordinary artist but one who makes outstanding statements with his works. When a friend of his saw his first wire painting, “The Birth of Wire”, he advised him not to show it an any group exhibition yet, but to keep producing more like it for future show.
The future has arrived now for this artist as the Director, TRIAD Studio in Obalende, Dotun Alabi found his pieces intriguing.At the press preview of the works in Lagos recently ,Alabi described the forthcoming show as “control testing” for the artist’s experimental paintings.
“Isolation is not good in valuing works,” said Alabi who runs a studio that is designed to groom young talented artists.
The works, mostly made of wire, glue and gum has great durability. The artist offered suggestions for good maintenance of the pieces during the interactive session.
“You can just dust it with brittle brush and picture vanish”’ he said. Some of his 30 pieces for the exhibition include “The Celebrant”, “African Queen”, “Inevitable Feelings, and “Reflections”. His works are predominantly steeped in Yoruba cultural life and world view. For instance, the painting titled, “Orisun EdeAyan”, meaning “The Source of Drummers’ Language” brings the viewer face-t-face with the significance of the tonal expressions made by the drummers.
This solo exhibition runs till Friday, August 24.