Nigeria-born, London-based multidisciplinary artist, Tejumola Adenuga evokes an African utopia with elements from his past in a new exhibition, “Future, Past”. The opening of the exhibition was held at Art Twenty One, in Lagos, on Friday, April 19, 2024.
Comprising of portraits and minimalist design elements, the exhibition is inspired by a mythology about a small river in his ancestry in Ijebu Ode and the characters that framed its existence, looking to it as a source of creativity and life. It conjures a place that is alive and vibrant with a revered divine entity within Yoruba mythology. Some of the sub-themes include a longing for expression, the possibilities of the human mind, and the psyche – internal and external struggles – that the process of creativity necessitates.
Adenuga’s visually intricate ink drawings, characterised by elements of middle-class family life in Nigeria, solemn melancholic figures, curves and minimalist framing, present intimate and multi-layered imaginative scenes, creating what the artist refers to as ‘memories, present reality and future hopes from the perspective of a child that grew up near the river.
Reflecting on the inspiration behind the exhibition, Tejumola Adenuga said, “As an artist, I am often curious about the dichotomy of what is allowed to exist and what is possible to exist – and how to navigate the tension between remembering and daydreaming. I come from a family of blacksmiths and many years ago I left Nigeria, carrying with me the weight of possibilities, dreams and creativity. These three factors have shaped my identity both as an artist and an occupant of the world. Growing up, I was surrounded by creativity by way of the artisans who marked the particulars of my life – the cobblers, the welders, the weavers, and this exhibition plays with the idea of a nearby communal river as the source of creativity. I am so delighted to return to Nigeria – the place in which I took form artistically and be able to investigate what that means through this exhibition”.
From ink drawings to furniture inspired by his lineage of blacksmiths, Tejumola’s exhibition injects mythology into the mundane and elevates its characters with purpose, technicality and minimalism, offering a place in Africa where everything is possible, which in many ways is a prayer for both the artist and the viewer.
Caline Chagoury Moudaber, founder, Art Twenty One, remarked, “Tejumola’s work evokes different meanings to different people and its quiet, intelligent simplicity is at once the power and triumph. It’s so important for us to celebrate Nigerian culture and history, even while creating alternate worlds in which everyone is free to negotiate their capabilities outside of restrictive structures designed in service to a single narrative of a place. And that is what Tejumola does brilliantly, by exploring the re-making of a time and place through the real and imagined, his personal journey and shared, public experience, altogether inviting the viewer to a place devoid of limitations. “
The exhibition “Future, Past” is now showing at Art Twenty One. gallery.