Like so many entrepreneurs and business owners this year, the contemporary art advisor and former journalist Adora Mba had to place plans to open her contemporary art gallery in Accra, Ghana on hold. Mba’s ADA \ Contemporary originally intended to stage its first show, by Collins Obijiaku, in March, but it opened six months later. The delay allowed Mba to refine her strategy and strengthen relationships with the artists she represents.
Committed to nurturing Ghana’s emerging art scene, ADA \ Contemporary’s second show, the debut of the self-taught Nigerian painter Eniwaye Oluwaseyi, titled ‘The Politics of Shared Spaces’, presents an exciting body of work that contemplates the identities, narratives and power struggles formed within the layered frameworks that accompany the shared space. Explored through a portfolio of 12 large-scale canvases, the exhibition investigates the contexts of shared living spaces, communities and mindsets, while offering a commentary on the politics of race and class.
Eniwaye Oluwaseyi, Boy from the other side, 2020.
‘I see portraiture as a means to impart a social commentary,’ explains the 26-year-old Oluwaseyi, who only began pursuing art a year and a half ago. ‘Each work brings attention to an individual of a certain socioeconomic background and outlines underlying political issues by shedding a light on a marginalised person or community, all-the-while examining the identities and power struggles within our shared spaces. With my work, I hope to spark up comprehensive conversations with those that see them, no matter where on the globe they may find themselves.’
He continues, ‘I focus primarily on the dynamics of power struggles: from sharing my viewpoint on the #EndSARS protests currently happening in Nigeria, to bringing people's attention to the Albino communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, who have been caught in the crossfire of ignorance and Black colourism [and killed as a result].’
Each of Oluwaseyi’s portraits captures its subjects within a vacuum of ambiguity, inviting the viewer to reconsider what is being prioritised in the visual space. Using a vivid colour palette and intentional compositions, Oluwaseyi also asserts the idea of co-existence by presenting his subjects in a non-dominant manner. Working in oil on canvas, his intricate brushstrokes convey both a refinement and vulnerability to the subjects being portrayed.
‘I purposefully choose vibrant colours to embody the term "person of colour” in an aspiration to emphasise that we, as Blacks and Africans, are likewise majestic people’
‘I try to combine unusual colour palettes to go beyond the borders of religion, race and tradition,’ he explains. ‘I use colour as a means to communicate the subject matter since skin colour is rooted in my work, but [also] as a medium for creation and expression. Colours are reflections of my moods and feelings while I paint each piece. I purposefully choose vibrant colours to embody the term "person of colour,” in an aspiration to emphasise that we, as Blacks and Africans, are likewise majestic people.’
Eniwaye concludes, ‘I believe that if we are able to coexist in a communal space, no reason will arise to ostracise some or harm others whom we may not “understand”. Within our personal spaces, we can seek to work together at peace without placing priority over anyone in the face of their identity, race or position. If this can be achieved, then we can project these same ideals onto our communities as a whole.’
Eniwaye Oluwaseyi, Boy with the White Hair
INFORMATION
Eniwaye Oluwaseyi, ’The Politics of Shared Spaces’, until 27 December, ADA \ contemporary art gallery, Accra. ada-accra.com
ADDRESS
ADA \ contemporary art gallery
Ground Floor, ALTO Tower
Villaggio Vista
North Airport Road
Accra, Ghana
-
Hassan Hajjaj's vibrant portraits put Moroccan women at the centre of the storyFor more than three decades, the visual artist has been making portraits that centre Moroccan culture, albeit through a subversive lens. Now, an exhibition in Toronto explores the sporty facet of his portraits
-
A new exhibition interrogates the spectacle of the runway show: ‘Fashion shows are image machines’The first show at Basel’s Vitra Design Museum dedicated to fashion, ‘Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show’ guides us from the silent Paris salon to the raucous digital spectacle of the present day
-
Projection made simple courtesy of Vibe One, the first offering from XGIMI’s new sub-brandVibe by XGIMI wants to bring projection to the masses, with a debut product that simplifies and streamlines the art of conjuring up cinema wherever you happen to be
-
‘Sit, linger, take a nap’: Peter Doig welcomes visitors to his Serpentine exhibitionThe artist’s ‘House of Music’ exhibition, at Serpentine Galleries, rethinks the traditional gallery space, bringing in furniture and a vintage sound system
-
Classic figurative painting is given a glamorous and ghostly aura by Polish artist Łukasz StokłosaThe gothic meets the glamorous in Stokłosa’s works, currently on show at London’s Rose Easton gallery
-
What's the story with Henni Alftan’s enigmatic, mysterious paintings? The artist isn’t sayingParis-based artist Henni Alftan's familiar yet uncanny works are gloriously restrained. On the eve of a Sprüth Magers exhibition in Berlin, she tells us why
-
Home again: the artists reframing the domestic worldThe humble home has fascinated artists for hundreds of years. But what, exactly, is the appeal? Artists including Andrew Cranston, Cece Philips and Do Ho Suh on magic in the mundane
-
From art to fashion, and back again: Jonathan Schofield’s figurative work is back in styleAfter graduating from London’s Royal College of Art, Jonathan Schofield began a career as a creative director at Stella McCartney. Now, he has returned to his first love, painting
-
Rolf Sachs’ largest exhibition to date, ‘Be-rühren’, is a playful study of touchA collection of over 150 of Rolf Sachs’ works speaks to his preoccupation with transforming everyday objects to create art that is sensory – both emotionally and physically
-
After decades capturing the world’s fashion-set, photographer Johnny Rozsa picks up a paint brushIn his first exhibition of paintings, the New York-based artist celebrates the vibrancy of Tangier while rediscovering a familiar creative outlet
-
Leila Bartell’s cloudscapes are breezily distorted, a response to an evermore digital world‘Memory Fields’ is the London-based artist’s solo exhibition at Tristan Hoare Gallery (until 25 July 2025)
