‘Odafe’, ‘Ire’ exhibitions enthrall visitors

…as artists consolidate on Access Art X Prize 2022 feat

While this year’s edition of Art X Lagos, the annual and biggest art fair in West Africa, recorded a huge success, one of the highlights was the Access Art X Prize 2022 winners exhibition.

The exhibition recognized two outstanding artists: Dafe Oboro, a filmmaker and photographer, and Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński, an artist, writer, and researcher, who won the Nigerian and Africa/Diaspora awards respectively at the 2022 Access ART X Prize.

Their exhibitions were presented at the fair from November 2-5, 2023 at the Federal Palace Hotel and Casino, Lagos.

In his exhibition at the fair, titled ‘ODAFE’, Dafe Oboro showcases bold vision as a storyteller in challenging the conventional Western perspective imposed on the African continent. Oboro’s prior focus was on the reinterpretation of community in Ajegunle, Lagos, and retelling the stories therein from a local perspective. In ‘Odafe’, he turns his gaze upon himself in exploration of notions of cultural dislocation, masculinity, migration, spirituality and rebirth, with the aid of self-portraiture, sound collage, film and theatrical metaphor.

Set in Ajegunle, Uvwie Kingdom and London, ‘Odafe’ marks the initial installment of a three-part series of compelling inter-generational dialogue between the artist, Sir Samuel Ukpolo, his late grandfather; Blackson Johnson Oboro, his father; Cecilia Dupe Oboro, mother, and others who share his name or its meaning. “Odafe”, being a significant name among the Urhobo people of southern Nigeria, means “the rich individual”.

In ‘Day Dream’, the second installment, Oboro engages in dialogue with Sir Samuel Ukpolo in a moving encounter that skilfully blurs the boundaries between past and present, reality and dream, and takes the audience on a poignant journey to the very compound in Ajegunle where Oboro first met his grandfather. It is from this dream encounter that the name “Odafe” emerges.

In ‘Goldfish’, Oboro engages with Cecilia Dupe Oboro, whose voice echoes in the background as the narrator, and who is presented with a gold ribbon across her eyes, symbolising the golden bond between mother and son and the notion of self-perception and representation. The self-portrait represents her view of Odafe in relation to the rest of the family and the community’s view of Dafe Oboro. The “goldfish” is a metaphor for the high expectations she had for her son, and for her own journey from fish stall vendor to fish company owner in fulfillment of her grandmother’s high expectations for her.

Dafe Oboro extends his reach to the community beyond his family by drawing the other “Odafe” figures into the story as protagonists or witnesses in this world of wealth, rebirth and re-enactment of childhood memories, dreams and aspirations.

For Dafe Oboro, the series serves as a crucial channel to his rebirth, a reconnection with ancestral and latent memories from his childhood. He invites the audience to become active participants in this evocative space and connect to the alternative community he has created.

On her part, Belinda Kazeem-Kaminski, the African/Diaspora winner, enthralls with her work titled ‘Ire’, which literally means blessings.

‘Ire’is an introspective photographic series and installation that delves into the realms of ancestral memory and familial representation. Inspired by the artist’s encounter with Yoruba cosmology, the work serves as a profound journey back to her roots. Her pursuit is guided by both artistic and spiritual intent, and sees her explore various entryways, including the sacred realm of IFÁ divination, and a deeply personal practice of guided/self-directed decoding. Through the exploration, Kazeem-Kamiński is guided by lingering memories from her last visit to Nigeria in 1992, when her senses were awakened by the texture of ọbé̩ ilá (okro soup), the savoury taste of ẹ̀pà (boiled groundnut) and the flavours of her grandmother’s cooking.

Kazeem-Kamiński draws deep inspiration from the profound precepts of Yoruba cosmology, particularly from Odù Ọ̀wọ́nrín Ogbè, one of the 256 Odù ogbè verses in IFÁ, which Professor Jelili Atiku described as a comprehensive system that encapsulates all things, both metaphysical and physical, within the Yoruba worldview. Odu Ọ̀wọ́nrín Ogbè highlights essential concepts such as “orí tútù” (calm head) and “Ìwà pẹ̀lẹ́” (balanced character), while emphasising the importance of following the guidance of ancestry as a path to achieving a harmonious balance of energies.

In ‘Orí mi – Ìjúbà J. D. Ojeikere’ (My Head – A Homage to J.D. Ojeikere), Kazeem-Kamiński presents a series of images produced in collaboration with Amaize Ojeikere. The homage mirrors the approach taken by J.D Ojeikere in his Hairstyle series by focusing on the subject’s head from four distinct angles.

Kazeem-Kamiński invokes the process of mending in ‘Ire’ (benediction) as a pathway to catharsis. Drawing inspiration from the ancient Japanese practice of kintsugi, a celebration of the beauty in imperfection, and the art of golden repair, she seamlessly and intricately merges her own visage, in various stages of ageing, with a B&W photograph of her mother, rendering visible the Yoruba aphorism “ìyá ni wúrà…” (mother is gold…) and emphasising the importance of the mother/feminine energy in the Yoruba worldview. The collage symbolises the profound and enduring connection between mother and child, which transcends time and space.

‘Ire’ invites viewers to explore the complexities of familial representation, healing from the pain of the past and the impact of emigration on one’s sense of self and identity. It also pays homage to indigenous Yoruba archiving methods, emphasising the importance of memory, material objects, and symbols in the reconstruction of personal narratives and histories.

The exhibition is curated by Jumoke Sanwo, a Lagos-based storyteller, place-maker and cultural producer whose artistic and curatorial interventions lie at the intersection of technology, innovation, materiality and art in post-colonial societies. Her practice is informed by a keen understanding of the connections between art, culture and society, and her writings have appeared in numerous publications and online resources, including MoMA’s post – notes on art in a global context (2022) and Ana Hupe’s Footnotes to Triangular Cartographies (2023). Her list of curated exhibitions includes Portal of Reimagination – Dúna Dúrà, Archive of Forgetfulness (2020-2021), and her works have been presented at galleries, museums and festivals across the world.