At Bloom Art, ‘Uniting Forms’ exhibition showcases creativity

In an effort to foster creativity, Bloom Art presents “Uniting Forms,” a remarkable group exhibition featuring diverse sculptural media by eight notable Nigerian artists at its inviting Victoria Island art salon.

The exhibition explores the harmony and tension between distinct forms, materials, and artistic visions, encouraging a dialogue about shape, space, physicality, and unity. According to Ugoma Ebilah, a leading independent multi-arts curator, this exhibition is part of a broader commitment to social and cultural development and is renowned for its unique programming and activations within the creative arts and cultural experience space.

“It serves as a dynamic platform where artists from Nigerian backgrounds converge to showcase their talents and share their inspirations with the public. These exhibitions not only celebrate the creativity and diversity of Nigerian art but also act as catalysts for cultural exchange, economic development, and social empowerment.

They enable organic interplay with other forms of creative expression and highlight Nigeria’s vibrant multi-art scene.”

The exhibition opens today, Saturday, October 26, 2024, and features the work of eight artists: Boma Joe-Jim, Adeyinka Aingbade, Angela Isiuwe, Dare Adenuga, Olumide Onadipe, Peter Adelaja, Richardson Ovbiebo, and Uchay Joel Chima. These artists have emerged from various Indigenous Art Schools and currently live and practice in Nigeria.

Their recent works focus on the female subject, exploring a broad spectrum of human issues, including society, the environment, and various conditions. Boma Joe-Jim’s body of work features recognizable female torsos in wood, capturing elegance, beauty, delicateness, and fluidity at different moments.

A seasoned sculptor mentored by the legendary Bisi Fakeye, Joe-Jim brings over 25 years of experience from his practice at the Universal Art Studio in Lagos to his latest pieces, which embody a contemporary ideal of femininity.

Adeyinka Akinbade, a painter, photographer, and graphic designer, projects seemingly monochromatic pale images of human forms juxtaposed in his mixed-media, paper-heavy body of work titled “Testimonial.” These pieces manifest as contoured, 3D-like folds, offering meanings that extend beyond their physical appearance and reflecting the artist’s interest in the materiality of minimalism.

Angela Isiuwe, the only female artist in the collective, is one of Nigeria’s finest contemporary artists. With over 27 years of practice, she has significantly shaped contemporary visual language in Africa and paved the way for female artists in a predominantly male field. A graduate of Auchi Art School, Angela is renowned for her striking minimalist abstract figures.

In this collection, she presents several delicate metal sculptures, drawing themes from the socio-cultural and economic conditions of women while portraying the female experience without casting it in a partisan frame of feminism. In her new sculptural works, Angela seamlessly intertwines artistic impulse with diverse media and styles.

Her captivating figures express feminine elegance, charm, and sophistication, capturing moments of contemplation, melancholy, and joy—all conveyed through the spontaneity of simple metal lines. Dare Adenuga’s avant-garde mixed-media works depict female forms and images using twine on colorful canvases, interweaving embroidered imagery and metaphors that reflect human experiences.

Pieces like “Do I Say Yes, Do I Say No” and “Maidens’ Roomy Talks” portray poignant conversations among women. Adenuga also addresses serious subjects in his “Self-Appreciation” series, created in terracotta, which features nude, plump women in joyful poses. Through this series, he critiques societal standards of beauty against the backdrop of body-shaming and its psychological implications.

While Adenuga’s style and materials have evolved from traditional canvas and paint, his treatment of human subjects still reflects a commitment to realism. Peter Adelaja is a dancer and sculptor from the Ife School. Through experimentation at the annual Harmattan Workshop, organized by iconic artist Bruce Onobrakpeya, he has explored the stone medium along with other materials.