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Adegboyega Adesina | Lagos, Nigeria, 1998

 

Adegboyega Adesina through the use of several mediums, in his works explores the communal relationship between human being and his space of existence.

Growing up in a big family Adesina had to adjust himself and learn to coexist with people of different personalities, identities, beliefs and their belongings in a confined space. This form of self-adaption shaped his mentality and entirety as a human being to think and react as a community. He creates art for the purpose of documentation, self-expression and comprehension of himself as an individual belonging to a community therefore creating metaphorical representations of reality.

Adesina creates intimate portraits of Black subjects with rich colour palettes and a dynamic sense of personality. The artist drew much on the imaginary of fairy tales to build his characteristic cartoon style.

The works present a complex but highly personal investigation of Nigeria through the lens of the artist’s personal history, as well as the people, cultures, traditions, and political views shaping his country.

The portraits are an expression of Adesina acquired understanding of the current state of African Culture acknowledging the effect of colonialism and world digitization on African culture and Africans of the millennial age.
The artist creates a visual representation of these influences on black people thereby documenting the contemporary Africa. His works also challenge the most conspicuous phenotypic identification of a black person, which is the skin.

EXHIBITIONS                

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