‘Our Time in the Sun’ opens at Soto Gallery

From June 2-21,2023, Soto Gallery, an Ikoyi-based art gallery, will be hosting an enthralling exhibition titled “Our Time in the Sun”.

The joint exhibition will feature works by Dennis Onofua and Oluwaseun Akinlo. While Dennis is a multi-faceted artist exploring contemporary and modern art, Oluwaseun, on the hand, is an experimental artist. Through their works, which are bold and vibrant paintings, the artists invoke familiar traditions in figuration while employing techniques that defamiliarize the painted body. Depicting a range of subjects in various moods and settings, the paintings explore themes of mutual dependence and the varied, often unpredictable ways lives, stories and struggles intersect.

In his works Dennis, uses acrylics, enamel and watercolor to dramatize the enclosed spaces of an intimate relationship, depicting single and entangled subjects in moments of vulnerability.

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At the exhibition, Oluwaseun will futrther continue with the theme of ‘Victims’, his ongoing series, while also drawing attention to the flow of daily life in underserved communities and to the people who strive for their betterment.

Meet the artists: Dennis Onofua

He is a multi-faceted artist who explores contemporary and modern art. Dennis, a full-time studio artist since 2018, trained at Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State, specialising in Painting.

Like a signature, line, color, and form have been the connecting components of his practice. He believes that figures are representatives of the human condition; simultaneously delicate, disconnected, and disfigured, but also diverse and full of depth. Through this systematic approach to mark-making, Dennis manages to find this balance of authenticity in his portraits, thus effectively communicating how we exist as humans with a nuanced thoughtfulness. Playfully exploring techniques of abstraction and figuration, the Lagos-based artist often finds inspiration in human anatomy. His work has been exhibited in local and international galleries.

Oluwaseun Akinlo:

Oluwaseun Solomon Akinlo studied Fine and Applied Arts at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State. As an experimental artist, Oluwaseun has developed a passion for abstract expressionism and figurative art. His oeuvre encompasses paintings, vitrines, and an array of works on canvas such as drawings, acrylic, collages, and altered photographs. Born out of research and conversations conducted within his community, his practice is a culmination of stories and the emotional layers they create. He is based in Lagos, Nigeria. With the above credentials, Soto Gallery is promising an enthralling outing with ‘Our Time in the Sun’ at its space from June 2-21, 2023.