ARTIST STATEMENT

Creating art gives me a sense of satisfaction which I trace back to the freedom I experience during the creative process. This I think could be put into context by observing the world around me which could be described as stressful and chaotic. I sometimes feel we are rushing or hurrying around most of the time but not actually getting anywhere quick enough. The world today is driven by technology and targets that make us feel we are living in a pressure cooker. My Art offers me an escape route from this hectic schedule.

My Art also enables me to interpret and make personal observations about the world around me, which might not necessarily conform to society’s perception. These could be in sensitive areas like religion, culture and politics. I question societal values, norms and belief systems through my art.

My personal preference is to connect more deeply with my audience in order to stimulate dialogue that extends beyond the visual. I want my works to question the audience - interesting works have to have a relevance to place, time and event. This at the same time does not necessarily mean the aesthetic elements have to be discarded. My take is that strong works are more exciting in terms of theme, style, medium and execution. Subjects like religion, procreation, death, politics, conflict, superstition, culture and the environment appeal to me the most.

My style has always been mixed media with wood being my most dominant medium. Over the years I have continuously explored the aesthetic versatility of wood by using various additive and subtractive techniques such as cutting, drilling, carving and scorching - you can find knives, cutters, blow touches, axes, chisels and drills in my tool box, just to mention a few.

Three artists have really influenced my works - they are El Anatsui (early works) Gani Odutokun and Jackson Pollock. I usually approach my work by using sketches, but sometimes the works could end up not having any semblance to the original sketch. I also work spontaneously. I usually find the finishing stages of my works the most exciting. This is where I apply secondary and finishing mediums like paints, dyes, stone, plastic, glass resin, fabric and paper to mention a few. It is at this stage that the work begins to come into it’s own.