BETWEEN THE LINES OF PROGRESS, ADEOLA BALOGUN READS A TRANSMOGRIFICATION

ARTS & REVIEW

A subtext of caution lurks beneath the babel of 2-D and 3-D offerings in Adeola Balogun’s ongoing solo exhibition, says Okechukwu Uwaezuoke

Transmogrification? It’s all about change, as the artist Adeola Balogun affirms. Yet, something nuanced about this “change” hints at the undesirable. This is especially when the change being alluded to is not only extraordinary – or better still, unexpected – but also verges on the humorous or the grotesque. For the Yaba College of Technology art lecturer, no other word would, in any case, have been better suited for his solo exhibition’s title than this t-word. Therefore, it does make good curatorial sense that he appropriated it as an umbrella word for these otherwise dissimilar offerings.

Dissimilar indeed best describes the series of works that are displayed at the exhibition, which was declared open on Saturday, April 16 at the Signature Beyond Art Gallery on the arterial Awolowo Road in SW Ikoyi, Lagos. Among them, metal sculptures – especially those from the “Rare Species Series” – seem to call out to the viewers from their strategic positions amid a miscellany of mixed-media paintings. 

A few words about these metal sculptures: Balogun depicts them as large-sized imaginary fishes with bulging eyes as a metaphorical allusion to the possible discovery of hitherto unknown hidden life forms thanks to technological advancements. As for the mixed-media paintings, print reproductions of his previous 3-D works are painted over with thick brushstrokes, thus “transmogrifying” them into newer forms of expression. Nonetheless, the foreboding of an impending matrix-like scenario lurking behind the gloomy monochromes of these 2-D offerings cannot be ignored.

Clearly, these works have been so painstakingly contrived to illustrate the intrusion of technology into the lives of average people. Even as the positive enhancement of their lifestyle through modern gadgets is being extolled, it would be reckless to overlook the flip side, which borders on the devastation wrought on society by their impact. Thus, the artist rightly reads between the lines of these dazzling technological breakthroughs while separating the gold mines from the land mines.

A compelling reason not to disregard the potential pitfalls of this much-touted progress is its origin in the human intellect, which, as a product of the frontal brain, is designed by nature to make man’s physical life easier. Sadly, an exclusive earth-bound vision restricts the human creature because it distracts him from his real goal, which transcends his material existence. Since his animating core is spiritual, it has its origin in a much higher and lighter world that is different from the one where his physical body dwells. Only when he can cast his gaze far beyond this earth in recognition of the true purpose of his existence, will he be able to release the desire to shed his material coverings and return to his homogeneous kind. 

Perhaps this could be why it is hard to resist drawing parallels between the exhibition’s title and the fallout from the biblical allusion to mankind’s failure. The latter made the coming of a Saviour, Who could mediate help for their liberation from the consequences of their wrong decisions, a necessity. Indeed, man’s opposition to the natural ordinance—by subjecting his living core to the dictates of his intellect, which is just an earthly tool—has wrought untold misery throughout his history. Consequently, all human endeavours already bear the seed germ of collapse within them from the outset because of this sorry state of affairs. And all so-called change or progress can only be made in a downward direction. 

Thus, the choice of the exhibition’s title seems to have vindicated the caveat against the flip sides of the tech-driven transformations. Of course, it is left to the intention or disposition of the end-user how these modern gadgets are put to use.

 “What technology does is to expose so-called ‘de facto’ mysteries,” says the artist. 

Back to the metal works—some of which are displayed in the exhibition, which ends on Sunday, April 25—they are products of Balogun’s finds during his junk-hunting in a junkyard. From the repurposed metal scraps, he breathed new life into both realistic and stylised forms that adorn the walls of his home and studio in a Lagos mainland neighbourhood off the Abeokuta Expressway. 

As for their rendition, it is agonisingly painstaking. Could this possibly be because of an apparent conscious effort on the part of the artist to distance himself as far as possible from the innovation-weariness plaguing the industry? In the process, even discarded electronic “innards” inveigle their way to the sides of giant animal skin drums as decorations. Unsurprisingly, this amalgam of craftsmanship and technological detritus ends up moving up the value chain. 

Besides, there is little doubt about the fact that Balogun’s academic and administrative duties are standing in the way of his studio practice, which is mostly during the weekends. This is understandably so because, between the demands of his job as a lecturer and his position as the head of the Fine Arts Department of the Yaba College of Technology’s School of Art, Design, and Printing, much of his time during the working days is taken. The artist wakes up daily by 4 am to do some stretching exercises, go for long walks, and meditate. Then, his programme adjusts itself to the demands of the day. Perhaps the only constant in his busy schedule is the fact that he works from dawn to dusk. 

Balogun’s illustrious track record in the exhibition circuit – having held solo shows and participated in group shows both within and outside Nigeria – earns him bragging rights as one of the local art scene’s torchbearers.