BLUE / INDIGO

Blue, overall, is this haven or place where my figures can grieve and rejoice. Where they can be given dignity and respect. Where they can be free and surrounded by love.

I see blue as an ancestral practice. It is diasporic. It is a mother tongue. Blue has Àṣẹ. It has life and energy in it. It is also able to convey life with such empathy. Blue holds multiple emotions at once. It represents life, water, sky, new beginnings, renewal and hope. However, it can also symbolize sorrow, grief and the deepest pain. It holds all the complex multifaceted emotions and feelings of the human experience. It even gives voice to emotions that are hard to describe.

In Yoruba culture, indigo represents love. It is even taken as internal medicine. Indigo is an ancient vessel of language. This is seen through Nigerian indigo fabrics such as Adire by the Yoruba people and Ukara cloth in Igbo culture. These fabrics carry symbols of wisdom, knowledge, history, mythology, protection and spirituality that have been passed down and preserved in these fabrics.

For Time Is the Witness of Humanity

Time is an important aspect of my practice in general. In my paintings, the past, present and future all exist in the same place. I often use the imagery, language and mechanics of speculative fiction to approach serious, complex and important topics.  I used time as an access point to talk about the theme of the Bienal. 

The body of work title, For Time Is the Witness of Humanity, comes from me imagining time as a personified being or entity who has witnessed the progress of humanity and the world. Time remembers and has seen the parts we have forgotten. Time has seen it all. It was there before we were, it is here with us now and it will be there after us. It is a witness of our humanity.

HERITAGE

I am Yoruba from my father’s side and Igbo from my mother’s side. The materials that I use are deeply rooted in my heritage, but also across the diaspora in different parts of the world. There are Nigerian dried leaves such as Uziza, Ugu and Ewuro/Onugbu leaves that are used in traditional food and medicine by the Igbo and Yoruba people. 

The Baobab leaf powder is sourced from Nigeria. The Baobab tree is one of the longest living trees that is native to Africa. It is found in countless African mythologies and is seen as “the tree of life”. Using a material that has been around for so long on the earth and has seen humanity and people have experienced humanity around it was quite a powerful alignment for me.

I am always trying to find different forms of blues I can add to my painting palette. Blue spirulina is a natural occurring blue. I also love that spirulina grows in water, because water is a major part of my work. I further found out that in Chad of Central Africa there is a long-held tradition where spirulina is harvested and used by the women in a specific community.

I also wanted to acknowledge and honor the deep ancestral and spiritual connection between Yoruba and Brazil through materials such as the Brazilian clay.

POETRY

Poetry is a major part of my work. It is the language and the essence of how I approach my paintings. Usually, I write a poem for each body of work that is included in part of the exhibition. It is also how I name my paintings. Poetry allows me to unearth and bring forth emotions in a holistic way. It brings breath to a work.

I will share the first stanza of the poem I wrote for the Bienal body of work titled by the same name, For Time Is the Witness of Humanity.

The many waters of our being 

Time you have seen it all,

We try to find our way within your embrace 

For you lead us through mountains

And sometimes allow us to fly

To search for who we are 

For there are many questions we ask