Rising up in Lagos, Emma Odumade all the time drew cartoons and created collages on paper. As he continued to make work, his curiosity grew in highlighting the world round him, particularly younger folks in his neighborhood.
Odumade’s vibrant portraits and self-portraits, the latter of which he makes towards the top of yearly, replicate a way of unity, a seek for self, love, and anticipation of the long run. These specific works arose as “an attempt to have a diary—I never had one,” he says. “I needed to rediscover myself; see myself from an angle—from a third eye. My art became a mirror, through which I was a reflection.”
Portraits function data of actions and experiences, documenting the artist’s observations and referencing historical past and tradition to inform private tales. He combines photos with different mediums like charcoal, acrylic, ink, and repurposed earlier sketches, invoking what he calls “stamps of moments”—a set of recollections considered by way of the spectrum of previous, current, and future.
“I love that I can reference historical events, stolen African artifacts, and my humble beginnings through a photo,” Odumade tells Colossal. He collages the backgrounds of many compositions with quite a few black-and-white photos dyed with tea to present an vintage look. “The vintage brown look of the old photos is to remind viewers about [the] past and to give a ‘test of time’ feeling.”
5 new works can be offered by Unit London at 1-54 Up to date African Artwork Honest in London, which runs from October 10 to 13. Discover extra of Odumade’s observe on Instagram.
