‘BEYOND Limit’, a group exhibition showcasing various ceramic works in Nigeria, opened recently at the Quintessence Gallery, Ikoyi, Lagos.
The show, curated by Mathew Oyedele, features works across diverse themes and subjects by Adéòtí Azeez Afeez, Àkànní Kehinde, Asuni Wasiu, Ato Arinze, Chris Ekuafeh, Djakou Kassi Nathalie, Idemudia Mercy Itohan, Olubunmi Atere and Samuel Abidemi.
The second of its kind, ‘Beyond Limit’ shatters the stereotypical content of art shows in Lagos, presenting ceramic works as authentic art forms and not just articles of ornamental expressions. Initiated in 2022, the show beams light on ceramic pieces, which are largely underrepresented.
At the show, Afeez presents a vase with a graffito drawing of his mother. Whilst exploring clay to connect subject and medium, he sought to position women and earth as sources of life.
Movement, nostalgia and memories are central to Atéré’s work. Using patterns and engravings, she offers commentaries on societal values and memories as they affect individual and collective consciousness.
Kehinde’s pieces are inundated with motifs and patterns from Yorùbá culture. His work elicits social consciousness with Yorùbá values, ethics and morals.
In Ekuafeh’s works, survival and comfort are subject matters. On his part, Abidemi’s focus is on the human capacity to create wealth, independence and adventures. His use of engraved abstract faces on his pieces heightens his human-centred narratives.
Wasiu’s delicate engraving and scribbles are combined with bronze in his commentary on competition, rescue missions and wealth.
Itohan combines process with the subject, emphasising the conscious patience needed to create ceramic pieces in her work. Her Edo background also provides a helpful framework for her issues.
With closed eyes and a colourful glaze, Nathalie’s piece invites the viewer into a reflective mode. In contrast, Arinze’s Untitled (2022) piece shows his exploration of glazes against his signature smooth finishing technique.
Artist and academic Tobenna Okwuosa notes that Arinze’s piece is “a glazed ceramic work that expresses brutality and abuse through its carelessly applied glaze of different shades of brown, blue and green. The lacerations and bullet holes on the body of the ware reinforce the concepts of brutality and abuse.”
The Curator, Oyedele, added of the show, which closed yesterday: “From the established artists to the emerging artists, these pieces have been carefully selected to present ceramics as a genre that is not only without limits but also filled with critical theories that strengthen their value.”
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