O’DA Art gallery is pleased to present Echoes of Serenity, an exhibition that brings together the work of Visual Artists, Edosa Ogiugo & Duke Asidere; who both explore the possibilities of figurative, landscape and equestrian paintings through their distinctive styles and eclectic colour palettes. While Asidere embraces an impastoed edge where oil paint is heavily layered leaving the surface of his canvas textured and vibrant, Ogiugo’s Equestrian compositions are beautifully controlled, as they emerge against neutral, ominous backgrounds. As such, the exhibition initiates an intriguing artistic dialogue, highlighting visual intricacies and unexpected parallels between the works.
Over the last few months, Ogiugo has embraced more experimentation in his practice, refining his painterly technique while introducing fluidity with his creative process. Although he typically embraces an intuitive approach to making art in which he sketches an idea before fleshing out the composition on canvas, he reflects on the making of this series as a attempt to change that process: ‘To me, this exhibition was an opportunity to truly discover and execute how to paint the way I draw!’. As such, during the experimentation stage, Ogiugo was adamant in favouring quick, energetic brushstrokes to capture the brisk effect of drawing while maintaining the rich textures of oil paints. This is evident in the making of his “Equestrian Spirit series” where he oscillates between the background and foreground of the compositions to exhibit a confident playfulness between the horses and their surroundings.
Visible rough brushstrokes and overlapping lines are left intentionally to allow the viewer to understand how the image has been made while adding a further layer to the narrative. As a result, the strength of the horse remains the focal point of the composition as it breathes
By contrast, Asidere’s landscapes and portraits are the result of a much faster and spontaneous process of oil painting where the artist takes advantage of the wetness of oils to adjust and play with the overall composition. As an artist who comments on the everyday complexities of life from political upheavals and cultural struggles within his community, Asidere is known to depict visual metaphors of his immediate reality. For example, his landscape pieces, John Pepper Clarks, The Rusty Ibadan & Lagos Friends, 2022 are indicative of his time spent in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, as he completed a short residency. Each piece captures the vibrance and energy of nature in all its glory while offering a scene of escapism and tranquility for the viewer.
Through their distinct processes and styles, Ogiugo and Asidere create highly unique compositions that explore the complexities of human existence. In this way, we are invited to not only experience these two artists and their work simultaneously, but also as an invitation for viewers to imaginatively engage with and interpret the paintings through the lens of their own experience.
