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IHOTU

I live and work between the United Kingdom and Nigeria, where I was born and raised. My work and practice are divided into three parts: painting, sculpture, and installation.

I paint with oil, often on large, unprimed canvases, with colourful scenes from the Nigerian countryside as well as familiar figures of Nigerian women in various settings. My installations use objects of contextual significance in whimsical structures. Similarly, I produce performances that are both colourful and whimsical, often taking place in eerie and abandoned places. My paintings depict ideas that attempt to connect an audience to the dynamic values of postcolonial Nigeria. The people, places, and objects in my painting aim to reveal the layers of history that overlay mundane moments. From a ghostly scene in a market in Abuja to an abandoned underground walking tunnel in Bournemouth, the isolation of the African soul from its identity is a central theme. This isolation, spanning continents and generations, is the core of my practice. My larger installation work investigates the tangible shifts and histories that result in fractured internal and international relationships in Nigeria. The internal dynamics of tribe, culture, and wealth colour interpersonal connection as well as the connection to oneself. Using precious stones and other “valuable” resources and relics from Nigeria, I attempt to expose the historical context for modern socio-political landscapes. Where these resources come from, what they mean, and their purpose are inextricable from their histories. These items say volumes about the places they are extracted from and by extension, it’s people and communities. In using them to communicate art, I not only bring into conversation their origins, but their future impacts as well.

These impacts are played with in my performances. Performing, often disruptive, pieces provides a physical and visual bridge between the concepts of my wider practice and the actual world around me. A familiar scene on a bus subtly altered can reveal hidden truths about the community I am a part of or excluded from. By staging performances, I endeavour to reconcile a fractured history and identity with the society around me.

The three branches of my practice are connected by the familiar roots of the reunification of a soul dislocation.