Olayode’s permutates with 38 artworks
As the first month in 2017 rolled by and Tayo Olayode, an experimental artist, who will be the first on the floor of Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, to host an art exhibition this year, said his 38 pieces of artworks are a treat for art lovers and patrons alike.
Tagged, ‘Permutations,’ the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) graduate of Fine Art said the solo exhibition - his first in Nigeria, showcases impressive media artworks abstract, realist and surrealist expressions.
Olayode who said he really cannot be specific as to where he draws his inspiration from was however quick to note that the kind of materials he uses distinguish him as an artist and each of the works he has put up for exhibition.
“For the past few years I’ve specialized in exploring materials and methods rather than styles and techniques,” he said. “I try to fish out mundane and overlooked materials in the environment and use my creative energy to see what I can do with them - to create a new language with these materials with the hope that I might be able to carve out a niche in the art industry. A lot of artists explore materials and methods from time to time, but few really focus on that. I am currently exploring synthetic fibers such as ropes to form a new vocabulary.”
Among the artist’s array of works on display is the 8 by 10 foot long installation created out of colorful synthetic ropes and copper wire, known as Endless Development. According to the artist, the piece is simply a reminder that society is strongest when diversities, ethnicities are allowed.
Also on display are Olayode’s latest experimental works that feature iconic portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, Bob Marley, Che Guevara and the immediate past President of the United States, Barack Obama, which was taken from his new Leadership Series. He created these works using an ancient Tibetan technique of burning and perforating rice paper with incense sticks, which he learned from a Buddhist monk while attending an international artist residency in 2014.
“The inspirational leaders I portrayed are people who have influenced many and have huge global following. They are humanitarians who focus on the plight of humanity and worked for the good of others rather than themselves. There are many inspirational leaders I could have portrayed but I decided on a few because of how they contrast with each other. Followers of Bob Marley may not necessarily go together with followers of Mahatma Ghandi but they were both freedom fighters and represent similar humanitarian qualities; another interesting contrast is Obama and Che Guevera,” Olayode said.
On the use of ropes, perforations and asphalt in his works, the 47-year old noted that his breadth of expression are traceable to early mentorship he received from industry leaders such as, late Fred Archibong, Professor Abayomi Barber at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Abiodun Olaku, at the Universal Studios of Art Collective.
“I did benefit from a three month residency with the famous art professor, Ablade Glover in Ghana, who inspired my worldview. I am also a pioneer member of the Iponri Art Studios, the President of the Watercolor League, and a member of the Nigerian Society of Artists and the Guild of Professional Fine Artists,” he said.
Aside taking part in group exhibitions in Ghana, Kenya, USA, Britain, Dubai, and Canada, his art explorations has fetched for him multiple awards, fellowships and laurels. He said in 1995, he bagged the Fred Archibong Scholarship which was followed by the Association of Fine Arts Students (AFAS) Leadership Award in 1999. He was also a recipient of the Terra Kulture Ford Foundation Art Award for Best Young Artist in Nigeria in 2006, and the Arthouse Foundation Scholarship &Vermont Studio Cultural Exchange Competition in 2014.
Olayode said he would be dedicating the exhibition to the memory of late Chief Sammy Olagbaju, one of the influential collectors and art patrons, who encouraged and mentored him since his student days.
The Exhibition Curator, Sandra Mbanefo Obiago, said the solo exhibition, which is being sponsored by the Wheatbaker and Veuve Clicquot showcases Olayode’s unusual and refreshing multidimensional art in 360 degrees.
“We very rarely come across an artist who has mastered so many different styles, without loosing his own unique creative voice. And this we will ensure runs until March 4, 2017,” Obiago said.