May 6 – July 18, 2025
JACK SHAINMAN GALLERY
46 Lafayette Street
New York, NY
From jackshainman.com:
Ilé Oriaku, Toyin Ojih Odutola’s seventh solo exhibition with Jack Shainman Gallery, presents a series of multimedia drawings and works on paper that explore language as both a bridge and a barrier in processing grief and constructing meaning. Set within the conceptual framework of an imagined Mbari house—an Igbo spiritual and communal structure—the works pay tribute to the artist’s Nigerian heritage and her late grandmother and uncle. The exhibition weaves cultural symbolism, intimate narrative, and theatrical staging to examine how communication, identity, and ancestry converge in moments of transition and emotional resonance.
Ojih Odutola’s figures, rendered with rich materials like charcoal, pastel, and colored pencil, inhabit prismatic, fragmented spaces where they appear in mid-motion or partially obscured, evoking a sense of psychological depth and narrative ambiguity. The vibrant, jewel-toned palette references traditional Mbari art and carries symbolic meaning rooted in Nigerian geography and spirituality. Alongside the exhibition, a monograph titled Ilé Oriaku expands on these themes, offering scholarly and creative reflections on Ojih Odutola’s work, including her 2024 presentations at Kunsthalle Basel and the Venice Biennale.
For more information, click here.
From jackshainman.com:
Ilé Oriaku, Toyin Ojih Odutola’s seventh solo exhibition with Jack Shainman Gallery, presents a series of multimedia drawings and works on paper that explore language as both a bridge and a barrier in processing grief and constructing meaning. Set within the conceptual framework of an imagined Mbari house—an Igbo spiritual and communal structure—the works pay tribute to the artist’s Nigerian heritage and her late grandmother and uncle. The exhibition weaves cultural symbolism, intimate narrative, and theatrical staging to examine how communication, identity, and ancestry converge in moments of transition and emotional resonance.
Ojih Odutola’s figures, rendered with rich materials like charcoal, pastel, and colored pencil, inhabit prismatic, fragmented spaces where they appear in mid-motion or partially obscured, evoking a sense of psychological depth and narrative ambiguity. The vibrant, jewel-toned palette references traditional Mbari art and carries symbolic meaning rooted in Nigerian geography and spirituality. Alongside the exhibition, a monograph titled Ilé Oriaku expands on these themes, offering scholarly and creative reflections on Ojih Odutola’s work, including her 2024 presentations at Kunsthalle Basel and the Venice Biennale.
For more information, click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment