From June 17 to July 1, 2017, Omenka Gallery will present Bubbles of Emotions, an exhibition of recent work by leading contemporary sculptor Adeola Balogun.
Working in two broad representational styles; a calm realism and a more expressive abstract style, Balogun belongs to an exceptional generation of artists distinguished for embracing unconventional media and techniques, as well as their interrogation of the larger society.
Bubbles of Emotions, Balogun’s forthcoming second solo exhibition at the Omenka Gallery presents a careful selection of 36 works predominantly sculpted in steel and incorporating mechanical parts, a departure from his preferred medium of rubber tyres. Here, pigmented globular steel forms, similar to soapy bubbles and reflective of their environmental space are applied as metaphors to reflect myriads of challenges in our human narratives.
Noteworthy works by the artist include Vestiges of the Past, God Dey Oh, Elusive Bliss, where a couple can be seen almost in warm embrace and An Attempt at Perpetuity. Here, a lone skeleton sits with his right arm at akimbo and his face turned upwards. He seems to be reflecting on his indefinite problems born out of the current state of the Nigerian economy.
According to Dapo Adeniyi, publisher of Position magazine, “…Balogun delves into the streams of social satire infusing amusement, which is common to the bite of social sarcasm even as the cartoonist of the newspaper does. You find some human skeletal forms seated, spread out in the bowl-like seat and on the armrest. A metaphor actually for what someone recently described as the phenomenon of ‘the ageing presidents of a young continent’. The artist reads this as an African fever that refuses to go away. The application of materials by Balogun is as adroit as ever. He is the quintessential poet of materials, shaping meaning, creating inspiring and sometimes intriguing forms and shapes. Additionally, and unbeknownst to many, Balogun is not simply the sculptor but also a very resourceful painter. He actually believes that the terms sculptor, painter, ceramist, pastelist etc. are outmoded. For his versatility and bottomless well of inventions, he merits being referred to, rather, as the visual artist.”
Adeola Musiliu Balogun was born in 1966 in Ogun State. He holds a MFA from the University of Benin. Balogun has been honoured severally with; the award for Best Sculpture and Life Drawing Student, Yaba College of Technology (1993/94); and the award for Visual Experimentalist of the Decade, by the School of Art, Design and Printing Technology, Yaba College of Technology (2011). He has also completed several important public commissions including; statues of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Funso Williams, Madam Tinubu and Sir John Glover, installed at the foyer of Union Bank building in Marina, Lagos, and Towards Achieving Excellence, a 25ft statue located at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State. Adeola Balogun has also held 11 solo exhibitions and participated in several group shows at home and abroad.