Dotun Popoola’s Monumental Documentation in ‘Metal and Metaphor’

Alongside the warmth of the surrounding wood at Terra Kulture in Victoria Island came an eye-opening session with Dotun Popoola, Africa’s Metal King whose voyage into hybrid metal sculpture forms the crux of the coffee-table book, ‘Metal and Metaphor.’ Yinka Olatunbosun reports

On April 10, a select collective from the art community and beyond will experience the formal launch of the coffee-table book in Lagos. Edited by an art scholar, Moyo Okediji- a lifelong associate of a leading contemporary ‘synergetic’ metal sculptor, Dotun Popoola, the book titled ‘Metal and Metaphor’ is a potpourri of aesthetics, ideologies, history, culture, images and other elements of a career life spanning two decades. Its pages glow with beautiful pictures of his multi-coloured metal sculptures, emitting almost the visual appeal of a food blog. With an introduction by the editor, the book also features four essays by art historians namely Olusegun Fajuyigbe, Kunle Filani, Kehinde Adepegba and Tolulope Sobowale. Incidentally, all of these contributing scholars graduated from the University of Ife, now known as Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife.

A native of Abeokuta, Popoola’s affinity for scrap art evolved through formal and non-formal training. His forefathers had laid the roots in the trade. His great and grand-fathers were blacksmiths, while his father is an auto electrician- with the moniker “Baba Rewire”. For Popoola, there is a deep spiritual connection in his lineage with the art. Still, critics often point to the Ife Art school’s influence that is palpable in the cultural contexts of his works. To break into international art markets, Popoola understands the danger of telling only one side of a story. Hence, his artistic statements are created as hybrid in nature, both in form and content.

“I put different things together to produce one work,’’ he began, as his hand brushed over the menu on the table. “I can create a piece of work with a variety of meanings, using ferrous and non-ferrous items.’’

After studying Fine Art from Auchi Polytechnic and later, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife where he graduated in 2008, Popoola trained as a hybrid welder in the United States of America in 2016. There, he learnt to use the mig welder and a plasma cutter. On his return to Nigeria, he started repurposing metal junks from junkyard, assembling them into stunning pieces, mostly in animal figures. Bad spark plugs, discarded power generators, cutlery, bicycle parts all became assets to his artistry. His first experiment with scrap resulted into a huge sculpture of a cockerel made of discarded spark plugs and cutlery, showcased at a popular gallery in Lagos to a warm reception.

“The title of the book, ‘Metal and Metaphor’ is just a play on words, using the works to convey messages and not just for aesthetic purposes alone,’’ he continued. “The Yorubas would call that ‘Aroko,’ that is a metaphor. ‘Aroko’ is a coded message. Each of my works has a coded message, like sculpture-within-a-sculpture. It is like having miniatures within the whole. Sometimes, I could hide the Benin Bronze or the Nok head or other bronze items to transpose the work into hybrid and also create a luxury effect. The coded message- most of the time- is personal to whoever commissions the work or whatever message that you would want to pass across. I love the book to appeal to even a casual reader. The book is a compendium, catalogue, brochure, research material; it is everything rolled into one.’’

The artist who enjoys telling stories around his works and their impact around the world recounted the story behind the metal sculpture ‘American Rottweiler.’ He once had a show in Texas where he was expected to bring six works. Realising that he needed to bridge the cultural gap, he picked the dog motif loaded with African symbols that an average American could relate to.

On one of his posts on Instagram, he received a positive feedback, amongst many, from someone who had been struggling with suicidal thoughts.

“He actually saw my post on that Monday morning. Most of my works I do analysis and interpretation by myself and I would post it. People would read and give feedback. I had written that morning that ‘Out of the broken pieces of your past, there can be an edifice of hope.’ I have assembled discarded materials to form a magnificent piece- a bigger picture. I think that is a bigger message in my works,’’ he said.

His decision to have a coffee-table book on his artistry was founded on the need to a reach a wide range of audience, without the book turning into some abandoned piece on the bookshelf. Dr Odun Orimolade is the reviewer of the book which took some 500days to be completed. The artist had always taken pictures and short videos of his works periodically for many years- making them the raw material for this book. Popoola, who turned 40 this week, believes that the book will encourage young artists to take their artistry seriously and generate more scholarly reviews on scrap art.

Having served as the curator for the National Gallery of Art for seven years, Popoola learnt the art of curatorial practice as well as documentation which became pivotal to the conception and production of this book.