Arts Thread

My practice is founded in introspective explorations and extensions of self. As a Nigerian diasporan residing in England, my journey of self-discovery includes the complexities of finding my own path while also preserving physical and emotional proximity to home (Lagos, Nigeria). I connect to my heritage through portraiture (of myself and my family) in order to navigate the space that is created by my distance from home. This path is marked by distinct childhood memories which now constitute the very fibres of my being. The fruits and flavours which hold memories from my formative years, reappear as the focus of my interrogation. Through casting, printing and photography, I explore the physical nature of traditional Nigerian fruits. I examine texture, colour, materiality and sensory qualities. These investigations propagate new forms and representations while also unlocking, recalling and locating childhood memories. The ability of this organic matter to locate such complex emotions makes it central to my process - how do I extract from and infuse the fruit metaphorically and tangibly. My aim is to reclaim, capture and translate these moments which stand out in my subconscious. My use of photo etching and UV printing preserves the textural qualities which are foremost in my recollections. Through layering fruits - cocoa bean, agbalumo (native to my homeland) - onto metal with etchings of family portraits and fruit (agbalumo, cocoa bean), I mix nature with nurture to continue the dialogue between subject (self/family) and object (fruit). By conjuring and recreating moments from the past (childhood years), I am reminded of how ‘sweet’ the good old days were. I view my process through a retro-futuristic lens; in manipulating these objects, I visit the past while creating a new future. By infusing these fruits, I am briefly teleported to the time when my parents were growing up, when Nigeria was a socio-economic and cultural success - a time I can only hope to experience. The layers of history seemingly present in these fruits opens them up to new interpretations - symbolically their story is still being written.