Adébayo Bolaji
The Soho House London member and artist shares five of his favourite works
‘Chibok’ 2016, mixed media on raw cotton duck canvas, 8 x 2 m
‘I made this piece at Yinka Shonibare MBE’s Guest Projects Artist Residency. The piece is a stream of consciousness, a visual response to the 276 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria. I also finished the piece when several of the girls had been found. I couldn’t get over the sheer horror and magnitude of the event, and the lack of global outrage.’
‘I made this piece at Yinka Shonibare MBE’s Guest Projects Artist Residency. The piece is a stream of consciousness, a visual response to the 276 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria. I also finished the piece when several of the girls had been found. I couldn’t get over the sheer horror and magnitude of the event, and the lack of global outrage.’
‘Her Flower’ 2016, mixed media on cotton, 121 x 154 cm
‘I like to play with opposites and place visual ideas that seem contrary to each other. The figure is actually taken from a ballet dancer that I saw. I then thought about a woman’s body, how it is always on display for society. And, from several conversations I had with women, how some have grappled with their sexuality, its privacy, power, and biological growth. It’s clearly an ongoing conversation.’
‘I like to play with opposites and place visual ideas that seem contrary to each other. The figure is actually taken from a ballet dancer that I saw. I then thought about a woman’s body, how it is always on display for society. And, from several conversations I had with women, how some have grappled with their sexuality, its privacy, power, and biological growth. It’s clearly an ongoing conversation.’
‘Black Is Beautiful’ 2020
‘This is probably my favourite painting to date. It’s based on Michelangelo’s ‘Pietà’ [Mary holding the crucified Christ]. I painted it at the start of the year. What is bizarre is that I deliberately made the figures Black in response to how we normally would see Christ and Mary. But I used the image to reflect on police brutality in America – African-American mothers holding their Black sons being killed by a system that is meant to protect. Ironically, a few months after this painting George Floyd happened... we all know the rest of the story.’
‘This is probably my favourite painting to date. It’s based on Michelangelo’s ‘Pietà’ [Mary holding the crucified Christ]. I painted it at the start of the year. What is bizarre is that I deliberately made the figures Black in response to how we normally would see Christ and Mary. But I used the image to reflect on police brutality in America – African-American mothers holding their Black sons being killed by a system that is meant to protect. Ironically, a few months after this painting George Floyd happened... we all know the rest of the story.’
‘Logic’ 2020 (artist postcard)
‘I think this speaks for itself. But to go further, logic can also be a sounding board, not necessarily “the rule”. Logic should give freedom to creativity and [allow us to] find other ways to do things, not imprison us.’
‘I think this speaks for itself. But to go further, logic can also be a sounding board, not necessarily “the rule”. Logic should give freedom to creativity and [allow us to] find other ways to do things, not imprison us.’
‘Myths And Legends’ 2019, acrylic, gold, oil pastel and glitter on cotton, 200 x 160 cm
‘I made this at my artist residency in Zürich combined with a solo show. The title of the show was Babel, exploring mythical languages and tales. The painting is asking a question about our thoughts on another world... another life.’
‘I made this at my artist residency in Zürich combined with a solo show. The title of the show was Babel, exploring mythical languages and tales. The painting is asking a question about our thoughts on another world... another life.’