A DAY IN THE STUDIO OF MODE
Truth be told, it was a few hours experience. June 14 happened to be a rainy Sunday in Lagos but the weather didn’t stop the guests from arriving at Studio of Modé, the latest gallery cum store in Parkview Estate, Ikoyi to mark its grand opening. Owned by Modé Aderinokun, the second child of the late CEO, GTBank, Mr. Olutayo Aderinokun, the gallery is a new addition to the existing art spaces in the city. The opening was quite significant because it coincided with the fourth memorial of the bank chief who passed after a long battle with illness.
The mood was cheery, though, considering what lies ahead of Modé and art enthusiasts. For her, the studio is more than just a workspace; it is a cultural reference point. It could be an eerie feeling to be surrounded by walls made of clay in a village setting but inside that magnificent white building, we found neatly moulded walls that warm the heart. The edifice figuratively transports you to Abeokuta and returns you just in time to catch up with the train of thoughts that the artist meant to convey through the pieces that lined the wall.
Modé had contributed into the literary world with her short stories published in THISDAY, one of the nation’s prestigious newspapers. Sometimes, she sets the pen aside to accommodate the brush, depending on what the creative muse foists on her.
“I like writing,” she began as she sat with this reporter in one of the rooms that is adjacent to the security cameras monitoring pool. It is quite clear she also likes to preserve her works to, with watchful eyes everywhere in the building.
Some of her works document iconic fashion statements and the women depicted are often graceful if not glamorous. But she doesn’t have a huge thing for fashion. Clad in a black jumpsuit with cropped top, one couldn’t help staring at the rings on her navel. Maybe, fashion is not what she wants to be known for but she has some distinct taste for it. She creates skins of African motifs for laptops, phones, ipad and other fabrics. Her journey into art started as sheer hobby.
“I started doing art officially in 2009,” she recalled. “I never thought of it as a talent while growing up. I was just doing what I liked. I never thought it could be a career path for me. I studied animation effects at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. I could have been in the entertainment business but I didn’t practise it. Instead, I write screenplays. I don’t like to be boxed; I am just a creative person.”
Atop the centre table at the reception rested a dedication to the memory of Modé’s father who was a very keen supporter of the arts in his lifetime. It was gathered that he had financially backed many productions at Terra Kulture in Victoria Island, Lagos.
“This is like a remembrance of him. My dad really liked my veering into art. He was a patron of arts too when he was alive.”
The gallery is indeed a huge project but not too overwhelming for the 27-year-old. She has enjoyed the support of friends and family members since the conception of the idea.
“It is a big thing,” she said cheerfully. “Feel free to say so. The idea is to create something new and unique. I delve into myself and then created this. I delve into my culture, where I hail from and who I am to create all that.”
Art is not a part-time job for Modé. She tapped into the Abeokuta tradition to construct the gallery, adding some cultural ingredients of her hometown to the canvas. She loves executing her pieces with the graphite pencil.
“I don’t do any other secular job,” she disclosed. “This is what I do. I also write short stories and I have published some at THISDAY. I also contributed to the THISDAY Style. I am more of a fictional writer and I create stories. I am very fascinated by everything. I study people and places.”
Modé couldn’t deny the influences she has had from studying masterpieces in art and she pointed out that a self-portrait female artist has been a big influence in her work.
“I have a favourite artist and her name is Frida Kahlo. I have also been very influenced by the works of other artists. I am always absorbed in their works.” With very contemporary themes, her works breathe youthfulness. Like the Mexican artist Kahlo, she also does several self-portraits. Modé can be described as a product of four different countries.
“I have lived in four different countries,” she said. “That has made me very open-minded. I lived in Nigeria, Togo, England and America. I have met different people and seen different cultures. Those have taught me to be less judgemental and more open-minded in accepting people the way they are.”
For her, the Studio of Modé spells a cultural renaissance for the city. She intends to preserve iconic images and other articles of history.
“I think I will want this space to be used for film screenings,” she proclaimed. “I have not really thought so deeply about it.”
As a lover of the arts, she was asked if music is a part of her life. It seems as long as music doesn’t get in the way of her practice, she would accept it.
“I like music. I don’t really listen to it when I work. But when I write, I listen to classical music. When I paint, I may be listening to a podcast or so. I am very lyrical, I like words a lot.”
Her work titled, “Lasgidi’’ has some written chants of Agege, Ikeja and other major towns in the state. When asked how she was able to recreate a picture of a motor-park situation without necessarily being in one, she admitted that it was a collaborative effort.
“That piece was done with my friend who knew some of those words. We worked on the idea together,” she said.