Behind the Veil of Forms

Raji Bamidele, whose solo exhibition recently opened in Lagos, echoes the success story of a generation of young artists through corporate support. Okechukwu Uwaezuoke reports 

Even at first impression, not a lot goes unnoticed at this exhibition. Its curious display of numbingly similar, albeit strikingly svelte—or, better still, serpentine—androgynous, ballerino-like, halo-sporting figures, draped with leaf-themed embellishments, seems to fill the exhibition hall at the Alliance Française (Mike Adenuga Centre) in Ikoyi, Lagos.

To the viewer, these paintings only attest to the fact that the artist Raji Bamidele is one of those young hopefuls in the local contemporary art scene who seems to be meticulously intent on crafting a distinctive artistic identity. His further research confirms that the 2019 Absa L’Atelier Ambassador even has a name for his signature style—one that stirrs the imagination and evokes a sense of mystique in the viewer’s mind—which he dubs “puzzled realism.” 

Behind the veil of this trademark style, which is evident in all but one of the paintings featured in the exhibition, titled The Melodious Struggle of Souls and Consciousness, lurk the spawns of an uncertain groping into the profound depths of human existence. The Kogi State native, who, like a growing number of his kindred souls, seems to wear the tag “multi-disciplinary and self-taught” as a badge of honour, anchors this concept to the Yoruba people and their belief system. It is not surprising, therefore, that the offerings of this exhibition, which opened at the Alliance Française Gallery in Lagos to the public on Saturday, June 22 and runs until July 13, subtly allude, with the blur of sameness, to the concept of interconnectedness forms, which he understands to be the basis for a deeper understanding of oneself and the world. 

Still on the exhibition, it is helpful to note that it is an Absa L’Atelier programme, which it organises in collaboration with the South African National Association with the Visual Arts (also known by its acronym SANAVA). Yearly, it offers up-and-coming visual artists aged 21 to 40—who are citizens, permanent residents, and living in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, the Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia—the opportunity to show their talents through the Absa L’Atelier. This naturally translates into the competition offering them a platform to explore themes and contemporary issues. An aficionado only needs a cursory glance at the past winning artists who have become Absa’s ambassadors to understand how winning the Absa L’Atelier has helped to launch the careers of these young artists and project them on a global stage.

Absa, with its track record of supporting the arts on the continent—thus living up to the brand promise of “Your Story Matters”—has drawn attention to the likes of Bamidele, told through art. Apparently, this prestigious recognition in the art world has been named in honour of the late iconic South African artist Gerard Sekoto. Hence, it makes sense that supporting and nurturing artistic talent, fostering cultural exchange, and celebrating the diversity of expression within the African art community should form a tripod on which its principles rest.

“Raji Bamidele’s story is a testament to this potential,” Absa Nigeria’s chairman, Adedotun Sulaiman, told the gathering at the exhibition’s opening on Saturday, June 22. “His journey from a young boy in Nigeria, hiding his artistic talent, to becoming an internationally recognised artist is truly inspiring. His success reminds us that, with support and determination, our young people can achieve great things.”

Similarly, Absa’s Senior Specialist: Art and Museum Curator, Dr. Paul Bayliss, for whom the “arts sector in Africa is increasingly becoming an important economic sector, not only for the potential it holds for opportunities for young people but for its ability to shape narrative for the future of the continent,” has in a press statement harped on “Bamidele’s unique story [as a] testament to this reality.”

Absa Nigeria CEO Sadiq Abu’s description of the event during his speech on that Saturday’s opening as “a celebration of the spirit of African art—a reminder that our stories, our heritage, and our creativity are worth celebrating and preserving” should be viewed in this context. “For the past 37 years, in partnership with the South African National Association for the Visual Arts (a.k.a. SANAVA), Absa has been empowering the stories of Pan-African artists through the Absa L’Atelier,” Abu disclosed.

Prior to his winning the 34th Absa L’Atelier Ambassadorship, held during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Cape Town, South Africa, the widely-exhibited artist had won several laurels, which included the Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos Prize at the 2015 Life in My City Art Festival (LIMCAF), where he won the overall best (Lagos Entry), the Best Use of Multimedia Award at the 2017 edition of the same event, and the French Embassy Young Talents Award (Y.T.A.), Prix de la Jeune Creation de L’Ambassade de France, as part of the LIMCAF 2017.

Bamidele’s rise to artistic fame was not without setbacks. He, as the eldest of six siblings, was forced to shoulder the burden of family responsibilities from an early age after his father died, circumstances that would later define his artistic perspective. Despite graduating from the University of Lagos with a degree in actuarial science, Bamidele’s discovery that his actual interest was art prompted him to go to great lengths to persuade his family to embrace it. This occurred while he spent a large amount of time honing his skills in his Lagos studio.

Meanwhile, the theme of his offerings at the current exhibition—the allusion to the fact that “the soul embodies the mind, which reflects the heart, and the heart extends the soul and spirit”—provides visitors with something to reflect on for a long time.