WITH OLAWUNMI BANJO’S SENSE OF SELF EXHIBITION, THE WHEATBAKER MARKS 10TH ANNIVERSARY

ARTS & REVIEW\\EXHIBITION

Yinka Olatunbosun

As part of the year-long celebration of its 10th year Anniversary, Wheatbaker Hotel Ikoyi hosts a solo show by Olawunmi Banjo, a self-taught visual artist. Titled, ‘Sense of Self,’ the show is curated by SMO Contemporary Art highlighting Banjo’s reflections on embracing and accepting humanity through art.

‘Sense of Self’ features 20 paintings of figures woven together by electrical wires in acrobatic dance poses leaping through time and space and propelled by a colourful surge of electrical energy. The artworks are hinged on these three central themes: accepting self, letting go of the past and embracing present moments. For the artist, ‘Sense of Self’ is an expression of human’s life-long journey towards self-realisation and actualisation.

Banjo carves a niche for herself with the hyper-realism style inspired by exploring surrealistic landscapes which question constructs around physical reality. Each of the figures communicate key stages in the journey of self-seeking, realization and acceptance. From the curatorial point of view, a series of three paintings of figures suspended mid-air in acrobatic poses, alludes to the sensitivity of a moment in time and one’s decision to either help or harm. In The Moment Series, Banji touches on the pores of empathy to pull a person off the ledge.

The Director, Wheatbaker Hotel, Mosun Ogunbanjo said that the exhibition is perfectly in sync with the Wheatbaker’s unique growth as an art inspired hotel over the past decades. “After 10 years of showcasing leading and emerging Nigerian talents, we are excited to celebrate our anniversary month and the start of the art season in Lagos with Sense of Self exhibition.”

In his review of the works, Jess Castellote, curator and director of the Yemisi Shyllon Museum, focused on the non-material aspect of the works. “What we are invited to see in her works is what is invisible to the eyes, the interior struggles, pain, longings, joys and hopes of human existence,” Castellote explained.

Nneoma Ilogu, the exhibition curator and manager at SMO Contemporary Art described Banjo’s works ‘as a body of works that speak to a deepened self-awareness, breaking through the intense pressure of technology, social norms and the constant need for external validation.’

Her works have been showcased in local and international exhibitions and art fairs including The Invisible Hands at Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA), Lagos, Nigeria 2021 – 2022, Stasis by SMO Contemporary at Temple Muse, Lagos, Nigeria 2019, Re-Art Meets Africa, Ihlienworth, Germany 2018, Mind Revolution II at Praxis am Traveplat, Friedrichshain, Berlin, Germany 2015 – 2016, Mind Revolution at Nike Art Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria 2014. She was a nominee and finalist at the Global Art Awards (Painting category), Armani Hotel Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE 2017.

She is a nominee and finalist at the Global Art Awards, Painting category. The current show runs till January 16, 2022.