AN ARTIST’S CATHARSIS
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For about a year, Adeola Olagunju was terribly ill, admitted at a hospital and dependent on others to perform tasks as basic as eating and bathing. She had a tumour in her throat and had it removed by a surgical procedure. Upon her recovery, she resumed photography, a profession she has practised for over a decade. This determination to conquer personal challenges has led to her first solo exhibition in Lagos. Titled, Redemption, Adeola is largely influenced by her personal struggle against both physical and psychological constraints. Her juxtaposition of reality and imagination is embodied in this new body of works that lined the walls of Whitespace Gallery, Ikoyi.
“For me, creating some part of this work was born out of taking my attention from the pain that I was going through,” she began as she led the way to the ground floor where some of her self-portraiture had been displayed.
“The whole surgical process took away my ability to use my mouth,” she recalled. “I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t talk. I was weak and tired. So, I began to tell people around me to photograph me. Visual arts became a therapy for me.”
The artist, who hails from Osun State, had to deal with speculations around her illness and the probable cause. Torn between finding answers between medical science and traditional world view, she explores the underlying debate about the efficacy of both, resulting in works such as “Irapada” “Olumoroti” and “Fall out”. Through “Irapada” which means Redemption, she carefully makes an incursion into the ritual performed for persons who are gravely ill and believed to be dying.
“I began to re-stage these experiences using my own body as a reference. The second body of works is titled, ‘Navigating the Dark Space’. After my year long illness, I was dealing with post traumatic stress. I was very paranoid. That moment of depression was like a dark space.”
Meanwhile, Adeola had taken part in group exhibitions internationally. From Kenya to Germany, her raging passion for photography has shown. Even in her state of ill-health, there was rage. She came to accept overtime that bad things happen to good people.
The third part of the show is titled, “Home Is…” which is a product of her recent art residency in Germany.
“I was invited to explore the colonial past and I decided to work from my own experience,” she said. “In Germany, the feeling of non-belonging was so prevalent among the blacks. I mean as a black person, you will be aware that some people would not want to sit beside you in a public place. Due to this feeling, you will be looking for what is familiar. I couldn’t feel at home. So, I decided to stage an African festival in their land through photography. After all, home is where I make it. I had to rewire myself to be comfortable by bringing what is familiar into the foreign space with colours and costumes.”
Other works at the show include “Resistance”, “Aurum I, II and III” as well as “Rage” which shows the artist's hand, strapped to a hospital bed.
Aside self-portraits, the artist sometimes focus her lens on a part of the human body to communicate a strong message. For instance, in the “Messenger”, she reveals a foot immersed in water. Though it has biblical allusion in the character of John the Baptist, her attention is centred on using the works to counter stigmatisation while giving hope to others who live with long-term illnesses