QGallery Bridge Generational Gap with New Show

QGallery is set to host a captivating duo exhibition titled “Off Confines,” featuring the works of two Nigerian artists of two generations, Dr. Adeola Balogun and Popoola Nurudeen. The exhibition, curated by Moses Ohiomokhare, is scheduled to take place at QGallery, Apapa, Lagos, from March 24 to April 13.

Dr. Adeola Balogun, a distinguished sculptor and academic, will present 15 new pieces, including 10 sculptures crafted from electronic metals and mixed media. Balogun has distinguished himself with an artistic approach involving repurposing discarded materials, such as rubber tires, lithographic plates, circuit boards, and old coins. His dedication to pushing artistic boundaries is evident in his exploration of durable and unconventional materials like pneumatic tires, emphasizing their non-biodegradable nature.

Sharing insights on his choice of disuse materials for his work, Balogun said as a mentor, he needed to demonstrate to his mentees the importance of breaking free from traditional constraints and encourage them to embrace the abundance of materials in their environment. His sculptures, notably the series titled “Rhythm of the Moment” and “Myriads of Perspective” (mixed media), showcase his originality and ability to transform discarded materials into visually striking pieces that communicate life.

“The only way to demonstrate to them (mentees) that look, you don’t restrict yourself to traditional materials, There are a lot of things in your environment you can use. If you’re a genuine artist, certainly the materials in your environment should reflect in what you produce.

“For instance, you have lots of carvings in this part of Nigeria and you want to ask the question, why do you have a lot of carvings here, it’s because we have rain forest here, there are a lot of timbers and wood, they can work with. I mean, it would be natural for them to explore that particular material so, in the modern age, in the age of technology, there are a lot of things that are available to us, both perishable and non-perishable materials.

“I remembered, some time ago I was exploring the use of pneumatic tires, discarded ones and because you’re talking about sculpture, for sculpture, you want to use durable materials, and I found out that tires are nonbiodegradable material. It will take over 500 years before it will decay. I took advantage of that, and now I am exploring electronic panels,” he said.

Sharing the gallery space with Balogun is a former student of his, Nurudeen Popoola at Yaba Tech. Nurudeen’s bold blue-colored paintings embody his unique style of “Modern Africanism,” fusing pop art with African elements. His works communicate modernity within Africanism, urging African youths not to abandon their cultural roots in the pursuit of Western ideals. The exhibition features Nurudeen’s works, including a series titled “A King Among Series,” reflecting his commitment to merging cultural influences.

“In essence, we can still merge our culture, thinking, and the way we do things, with what we’re borrowing from them. So we won’t leave our own culture and embrace someone else’s own,” he said.

Oke Gabriel, the Manager of QGallery, highlights the exhibition as a new experience. And on the theme, “Off Confines” she said: “the message that the artists are trying to pass across is about going beyond boundaries, beyond the ordinary because we are used to conventional materials. Telling conventional stories, though we can’t flog some issues enough because they still have to address and keep addressing the challenges of our everyday society.

“They tend to go beyond the ordinary by using materials that have not been used before or are scarcely used. Balogun works are made of electronic panels, these materials are off the hook. Popoola Nurudeen’s works look like European pop art and at the same time, you’re having the African mix of it because the subjects look African except for his choice of blue skin. So it’s a whole new experience, experiments and expressions.”