Adetunji, Chukwuemeka, Osaro, others to knock on wood at Alexis

After a long absence from the exhibition circuit, Alexis Galleries on Akin Olugbade Street will open its doors to arts connoisseurs, aficionado, critics, scholars and artists from Saturday, September 12 to 19, 2020.

Alexis’ ‘exhibition ground’ will be open for a week, as its first virtual group exhibition interrogates wood. The show titled, Knock On wood II, features five artists — Afeez Adetunji, Chukwuemeka Michael, Olatunde Taiwo David, Darlington A. Chukwumezie and Osaro Luke — who will be showing humanity’s resilience in the face of COVID-19 pandemic.

When The Guardian visited the gallery for a sneak preview, the organisers said arrangements have reached conclusive stages. “The works are set and we are waiting for the opening date,” said Mina Mastrogiannis.

While showing the different ways that wood have been knocked to produce aesthetically pleasing artworks, Mina said, “visitors to the show would be in for a surprise.”

One of the works to be exhibited

But there will be room for live viewing of the works by some interested few, which will be strictly by registration. The link to this effect has been published on the gallery’s social media handles — instagram- alexisgalleries, Facebook – Thehomestores Alexisgalleries.

Speaking on the theme, Bimpe Owoyemi, co-curator said that the exhibition is all about the wood. In time past “all we see about wood is the carving and other fetish things, but here the artists have not only defiled the common technic of carving, but had diversified the styles, technic, function, and societal appreciation or better put it the contemporary use of wood, as they have transformed, reformed, engraved motifs and even added colours on wood in special ways.”

Some of the works on show include, Swim in your own direction, You may kiss the bride, On your own, Mother Nature, The visitation and Concubine, Life on top of the water, Asiko and many others.

Pepsi, Tiger, Indomie, Mikano, The Guardian, Wazobia FM Radio, Cool FM, 7Ups, Cool World, Cobranet, Delta Airlines, The Home Stores, Art Café, and Lost In Lagos Magazine sponsor the exhibition.