What you may consider a waste product isn’t what others think. The artist, for one, doesn’t take it as a waste. Behind a heap of rubbles and throwaway stuff by the corner are latent, useful wastes that prettify as you take a second look.
Enter “Recycled Matter” by Alexis Galleries, the eco-friendly artistic habitue for denizens located at 282, Akin Olugbade Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. The gallery has assembled a crop of talented visual artists – Samuel Nnorom, Yusuf Durodola, Konboye Eugene and Chukwuemeka Osisiego —to drive home the message that waste matters — and it does from the constellation of artworks on display, starting on June 11, 2022 till June 25, 2000.
Inviting art lovers and collectors to the exhibition, the founder of Alexis Galleries, Patty Chidiac Mastrogiannis, reminded all, during the preview, that the importance of growth and relevance couldn’t be overemphasised by the gallery, which explained “why we are presenting ‘Recycled Matter’ as a window into the relevance and significance of artists to respond to issues in their immediate environment, and by extension, issues around the world.”
The exhibition, she added, was an affirmation of the artists’ commitment, labour and dedication to reduce environmental degradation and save the earth.
Lending his voice, the inhouse curator, Mathew Oyedele, noted, “By taking a vivid look at materiality and the environment, “the exhibition examines issues that originate from the local but are connected with vital global conversation.”
Mathew Nnorom, who discovered his talent at the age of nine, will be exhibiting three works at Alexis entitled “Venus of Colour”, “Venus of Space” and “Around my Heart”, which typify an expression of the love, which he found worthy of being translate into art, coming on the heels of his wedding ceremony.
The artist, who generates his materials from discarded waste items from tailors, said, “My fabrics have conceptual meanings. I look at them as a structure in a social context – as in the social structure, the fabric of the society, etcetera, “adding that the piece is mainly a colour distribution of purple and yellow,” the latter which he uses “to guide the heart.”
Like Nnorom, Yusuf Durodola will be presenting three artworks entitled “Pensive” (III & IV) and “Self-Appraisal”. Noted for blending painting, performance and recycling in his body of work, he is showcasing only recycled works for this particular exhibition.
He echoed, “We are in the era where recycling is actually what matters most, because it is something that is affecting our existence. There is no way we can survive as humans without a space, and when that space is being tampered with, we can no longer live a normal life, “ stressing that “it is our responsibility to tackle what is affecting the space, and that is the essence of having this exhibition, ‘Recycling Matter’.”
Also featuring three artworks — Do I (I&II), and “Immaculate” —is Konboye Eugene, whose major theme centres around children. Said the artist, “I look at children’s simplicity, purity and their flexibility. I work primarily with flip-flops, that is, slippers, any form of rubber shoes. Those are things you can find in our environments, in every home, because they are affordable and simple.” He believed that children play a leading role in securing a better environment.
The curator, Oyedele, explained that Osisiego, the fourth artist, was continuing with his quest for “Maintaining the Golden Mean’’, an Aristotlan concept. “In these pieces, he intensifies his exploratory journey by incorporating aluminum cans into his wooden materials.” The artist continues to advocate for courage and equilibrium in place of excesses and recklessness,” he said.
The “Recycled Matters” exhibition is sponsored by Pepsi, Tiger, Indomie, Mikano, The Guardian, AMG Logistics, Haier Thermocool, U.P.S, Aina Blankson, Lost in a City, Cobranet, Art Cafe, WazobiaTV, Lipton, Nigeria Info FM, and Rentokil Boecker.