We are okay, but we are not like before, a solo art show featuring over 20 recent works by Nigerian-Italian artist, Sisiano Paolo.
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Curated by Ian Audifferen, the show will be on view from today, September 3, to Saturday, September 24, 2023 at the gallery’s new Lagos location on Ademola Street, Ikoyi.

A private viewing, strictly by invitation, held yesterday.

As part of activities headlining the show, an artist talk will hold on Saturday, September 9, and a Tales and Cocktails exhibition edition on September 23rd, 2023.

We are okay but we are not like before explores the theme of self, navigated through the lens of dynamism in human experiences and the aftermath of these encounters. The notion that life is a sojourn of emotions with both positive and negative impact takes the foreground in this body of work. The oeuvre gives relevance to the idea that irrespective of inevitable and oftentimes irreparable changes, we emerge triumphant over our scars.

“If each time our hearts sank or jumped, we saw our tears in colour, maybe then would we truly understand how much pain or happiness a person or event once brought us. Not just in how the colours roll down but the patterns it creates, reminding us physically of something we felt heavily about,” said Sisiano.

This is an interrogation of the duality of trauma and healing simultaneously wherein we traverse the path spotlighting how our lives are shaped by emotional responses to various past incidents and the overall present and future conditioning created from these events.

The exhibition features over 20 works ranging in technique and medium from ink to watercolor on paper to acrylic on canvas. It also infuses a technique Sisiano terms ‘scraping’, which is peculiar to the artist to fully give oneness to his magnum opus.

Each exhibit depicts a strong narration of the past and current state of mind for every individual as seen in ‘One take’, a piece exploring the infatigable dependence on crafting a future that differs from our past experiences, and the inestimable dependence on relationships, insofar that autonomy and self dependence becomes a foreign pursuit as seen in ‘Fade Away’.

As a multifaceted artist, movement is a central theme in many of Sisiano’s expressions, thus the artist establishes his background in dance and fashion thereby depicting Flow as the vanguard of his musings, which is requisite to his overall message.
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In its gallery statement, the art space said visitors in this exhibition will find themselves “immersed in an experiment that seeks to unravel different parts of self and magnify how our overall experiences create layers to each person such that, though fleeting, they leave their footprints on us.”

Paolo is a multi-faceted artist with a diverse background, ranging from musical theatre to dance, fashion, film and a storytelling in general.

Paolo started creating pieces consciously in 2016, using thread on canvas around which he created a body of work.

It noted that “understanding his craft and technique better, Paolo tried his hands on watercolor, ink on paper and in recent years has worked more creating with acrylic paint.”

The gallery also said, “Paolo enjoys the freedom that comes with being able to express himself as an artist regardless of the medium used. Paolo takes inspiration from real life situations that we mostly can relate with, whilst bringing a personal narrative to the works that he creates.”

Kokopelli Gallery is a modern and contemporary Art gallery dedicated to showcasing ingenious artists who have mastered the art of storytelling.

Established in 2021, the gallery is presenting platforms for creatives who engage in the line with intentions to foster a tradition and dialogue of storytelling. A multi-roomed setting with a space dedicated for meditation. The Grotto is an immersive space that interprets literally a roomful of stories.

The gallery has proven to be an experimental space with an extemporaneous approach to the evolution of the art space where raconteurs and aesthetes converge for related engagements.
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