In Midst of Chaos – Studioorry

10 SIR SAMUEL MANUWA STR, VICTORIA ISLAND, LAGOS

7th December – 21st December 2024

‘In The Midst of Chaos’, an exhibition bringing together the dynamic works of renowned artists Ade Adekola, Mobolaji Ogunrosoye and Orry Shenjobi

In the Midst of Chaos was borne out of what we recognised as a needed rallying call to remind us all to rise above the noise and find the space to hope again. Often in mediation classes we are tasked to find something to focus our gaze on in order to quiet out the noise and find our centre. I believe the works of the artists for this show can be used as just that, a tool to recenter yourself in the midst of the chaos.

The artists featured have an obvious common ground, each have their practice centred upon their unique manipulation of photography. In addition to that however, it is their different layering techniques that form the final outcome of the initial photographic image.

Mobolaji Ogunrosoye’s Sketch of Portrait series is a double entendre of layering. First we get to go back to Ogunrosoye’s initial conceptualisation phase, in essence the first layer before some of the pieces shown are developed to larger manifestations of the initial ideation.

Orry Shenjobi works in steps to achieve her layered pieces. The initial scouting and photography of everyday scenes, transferring photography to canvas, and then adding depth through the addition of oil paint on certain clothing elements within the scene. Shenjobi’s art brings to the forefront two subjects in conversation with very dense and textured clothing, but even in the background, the scene is not without its own activity.

In the realm of Ade Adekola’s artistry, the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur, as the photographic image transforms into a tapestry of vibrant hues and textures. Emir of Kano is a piece that beckons the viewer to step into its kaleidoscopic world, where the subject’s distinct colours mesmerise and the intricate motifs in the background whisper secrets of a rich cultural heritage.

Nigerian multidisciplinary artist Orry Shenjobi (b. 1997) proudly presents A wà ńbẹ̀, a dazzling new body of work that serves as a documentation and historicization of the distinctly Nigerian Owambe (pronounced oh-waam-beh) party and its enduring cultural significance.

“Owambes are more than just parties; they are like a spiritual experience,” says Shenjobi. “It’s about so much more than having a good time. We, as a people, go through so much in life that we truly deserve these moments of balance and celebration.”

As a foreigner exhibiting in Venice, Shenjobi is extending a warm welcome into her artistic and cultural repertoire to Foreigners Everywhere, which is notably the title of the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia that serves as the backdrop against which the European Cultural Centre (ECC) is hosting this seventh edition of the “Personal Structures” contemporary art exhibition.

With a growing body of work that has evolved from two-dimensional oil on canvas paintings to intricately meticulous mixed media pieces incorporating three-dimensional elements, this chapter of Shenjobi’s artistic practice functions as an homage to the boisterous Owambe parties Nigerians are notorious for and the equally boisterous people in their attendance.

This latest addition to the artist’s oeuvre is presented in accordance with the three themes of “Personal Structures”: Time is expressed in the artist’s signature collage paintings and bricolage photographs; Space is aptly represented by site-specific installations mirroring the interior of Owambe parties, and; Existence is portrayed through an original short film.

Meanwhile, these three elements of the exhibition are seamlessly woven together with sound and smell to create a multisensory experience that lingers in the museum of memory for exhibition attendees. This medley of mediums, metaphors and motifs also symbolically represents the merger of the material (physical) and immaterial (metaphysical) at the heart of Owambe culture.

The show title, A wà ńbẹ̀, which translates from Yoruba (a language native to southwestern Nigeria and spoken in several other parts of West Africa) as “we are there” is both a statement of celebration and reconciliation; a celebration (homecoming) of how far people of African descent have come and a reconciliation (homegoing) of hitherto untold Afro-diasporic stories. Indeed, the artist is present in Venice, as is their culture on this global stage.

Ultimately, Shenjobi is inviting foreigners everywhere (at the Biennale and elsewhere) to carefully consider Owambe and its intrinsic act of celebration as an equally cultural and existential phenomenon that—like its host city of Venice whose many parts are linked by countless bridges—is itself a bridge between and beyond Time, Space and Existence; a meeting and mediating point, to not only meet to be merry but more importantly to gather as a global community to mediate the past and future through the lens of the present from a uniquely contemporary African point of view. “It's about how we all come together, regardless of our backgrounds and tribes, to celebrate the sheer joy of life,” says Shenjobi.