Mydrim unveils generation of future masters

THE Ikoyi Lagos-based Mydrim Gallery took another bold step when it unveiled a new generation of future master artists whose license on the show was standard and quality. It is pure homage to their creative ingenuity and artistic prowess.

Date was Saturday November 8, 2020. And they gathered: artists, art collectors, arts writers, art enthusiasts and gallery owners. They came to celebrate this new discovery of rare creative spirits.

There were eight of them: young and fresh on the exhibition turf, but with ceaseless and seamless creative exploration in all departments of their outputs. The Lagos art public that witnessed the show was treated to untainted excessive energy that procreated critical, spellbinding life on canvas, board and paper. It is the same experience with the sculptors among them.

The common ground for all participating artists is Realism otherwise known as Naturalism. The basic components of realism vis-à-vis precision, details and accuracy of depiction run like a thread through all the works. No stylization, no abstraction, no hiding of deficiency whether in figural calipee or medium of expression. Perfection and adroitness are bashfully imbued in those elements of mimesis and illusionism to drive home some mastery of visual language easily understood by all.

ALTHOUGH realism as an art movement that began in France in the 1850s after the famous Industrial Revolution of 1848, but is it important to note that realism or naturalism was not alien to Africa.

As far back as c.1300 AD — long before European contact with African indigenous populace — Ife Heads, made of Bronze, had been produced. And this even happened after similar objects had been produced in terra cotta (fired clay). When they were first excavated and discovered in 1938, it was difficult to ascribe them to the Ife people; and this was due to its high naturalism. Leo Frobenius, German archaeologist, had erroneously described them as work from “Lost Atlantis.”

In the words of artist-art historian, Kunle Filani, “Leo Frobenius with his Eurocentric prejudices concluded that such refined classical sculptures couldn’t have been made by indigenous Africans who were derogatorily perceived as primitive and incapable of representing precise human anatomy as manifested in the terra cotta heads. He therefore developed the Hermitic theory of provenance and declared that the finds must have come from the Atlantis, an ancient Greek Colony.”

Long story short, the naturalistic tendencies and adroitness embedded in Ife heads and the sophisticated craftsmanship had challenged Western conception of African art at the time of the discovery. Before then, African art had never been seen beyond what they called “primitivity” or “naivety of form,” which derogated the capability of the African artist.

The young artists on this exhibition by the Mydrim Gallery, therefore, stand as further testimonials to the artistic strength and creative ingenuity reminiscent of their African ancestors who produced the now famous Ife Art. The connection between them is realism or naturalism, which stands as the strong signature that each of the artists has brought to the table. 

The eight artists who are currently the brides of collectors based on the success of this show are Ademuyiwa Ladega, Akintomide Aluko, Akintunde Odesola, and Ayooluwa Akinrinola. Others are Opeyemi Olukotun, Olalekan Adebiyi and Toromade Tosin. Folashade Fagorusi is the only female on the show, but with the high quality of her creative output, it is obvious that her selection is not based on gender; rather on the strength and originality of her work.

Exhibited Artists

ADEMUYIWA Ladega is a 2014 graduate of Zoology from the Lagos State University. Today, he is a painter with a dripping brush and commanding strokes. He has five works in the show. While ‘Sleeping in my Favourite Wrapper’ and ‘Till He Comes’ are done in pastel on paper, ‘Reposed Reading’ and ‘The Tussle’ are in charcoal and pastel on paper. ‘Self Portrait’ is rendered in a beautiful cobweb of lines done in ballpoint pen on paper.

Akintomide Aluko already has the mastery of charcoal and pastel in his kitty. His skill is super and delivery, profound. He graduated in Fine and Applied Arts from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso in 2012. His work borrows from impressionism with a touch of cubism: ‘Some Nights’, ‘AFROnista,’ ‘Cold Blue,’ ‘Grace-filled, Unending Love’ and ‘Limitless.’

Akintunde Odesola is, no doubt, a colourist. A product of the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, his works do not completely conform to pure naturalism. He combines figurative minimalism as shown in ‘Strings of Hope’ and ‘My Forte’ and non-figurative impressionism in ‘Bustling Duties.’ His ‘Touchy Feeling’ and ‘Blanked’ are a celebration of blues.

Olalekan Adebiyi is a product of The Polytechnic, Ibadan and the Lagos State Polytechnic. His works berth in naturalism: ‘Exotic Dancer’ (welded chain), ‘Rejoice’(metal), ‘Alarede’ (Bronze), ‘Executive Lady’ (metal), and ‘Stride,’ which replicates an unsteady bird on a piece of wood (metal and wood).

Ayooluwa Akinrinola finished from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. His sculptural pieces are very strong and impressionable. His works are ‘The Pipe Man’ and ‘Womanhood’ (both in fibre glass); ‘The King Maker,’ ‘Anguish’ and ‘Prime’ (all in metal).

 Opeyemi Olukotun is a dynamic and magical colourist. A graduate of Fine and Applied Arts from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, his use of colour and understanding of human anatomy speak volume about his inimitable visual language. All his five works are treated in acrylic on canvas: ‘Iya Arugbo,’ ‘Red II,’ Global Cry,’ ‘Gaziz III’ and ‘Uncertainty II’ are all pure works of beauty.

 Folashade Fagorusi is the only female participant. Her dexterity in the masterly use of wool defines her dexterity and creative shrewdness. Most of her works are rendered in a technique that employs embroidery needle and knitting yarn. A graduate of Fine and Applied Arts from the Obafemi Awolowo University, her work is so detailed and intricately done that the final products is often mistaken for painting. On the show are ‘The Repair’ (wool on board), ‘Aboki, Shine My Shoe’ (wool on board), ‘My Hair, My Pride’ (wool on fabric), ‘Fast Food Joint’ (wool on fabric) and ‘Helping Hand’ (wool on fabric).

Tosin Toromade uses coffee on alabaster paper as a unique medium that strongly projects his creative expressiveness. An art graduate from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, he is a figurative and portrait artist. His works stand out with class and originality. Monochromatic definitiveness aptly illustrates his colour minimalism that summarizes his radical approach to art technique. 

WHY did the Mydrim Gallery decide take a radical approach to organising a show out of rare convergence of young talents with refreshing creativity who are endowed with abundance of skills? The answer is provided by the director of the gallery, Sinmidele Adesanya, whose love for naturalistic art is never in doubt. She says, “Regrettably, among the younger generation of artists, there has been a notable decline in basic skills that should enhance their natural talent and abilities as artists. Some of these artists now paint largely abstract works not requiring a high level of talent. In promoting these works on social media, they have deliberately discredited the works of artists with drawing skills and gained popularity amongst the younger generation of art lovers.”