A Pilgrim’s Journey; Through The Shades Of Yellow
With A Pilgrim’s Journey; Through the Shades of Yellow, Johnson Ocheja is no longer trying to be an artist, he is actualising his journey.
The pilgrim is typically associated with religious iconography but the pilgrim is really anyone who seeks a deeper sense of purpose and significance in life. This questing is ultimately the journey of the artist. The artist is first crushed by society and misunderstood before seeking a safe, often solitary space that may be seen as a pilgrim’s journey.
With A Pilgrim’s Journey; Through the Shades of Yellow, Johnson Ocheja is no longer trying to be an artist, he is actualising his journey. Yellow is Ocheja’s safe colour. The colour with fewer tones than green but one that only represents happiness and joy. The purpose isn’t merely about self but also Ocheja’s documentation and relative immortalisation of his subjects.
In Ochejas work, the use of yellow holds significant symbolism, representing felicity, possibilities, and hope. Each painting’s shades of yellow resonates with the artist’s journey. There is a variability in tone and therefore in language -sometimes it exudes a lighter and spirited hue, other times a deeper and muddy tone. And although the human body is the primary element in these pieces, Ocheja emphasises that it is equally vital to contemplate the attire that adorns the subject-and it is these yellows, characterising his subjects’ internal worlds, that he elevates beyond aesthetic choice, to become a symbolic portal into the experience of happiness.
Foliage in these portraits serves as a recurring motif of vitality and connectedness to life sources, nature and abundance. It is a reference to our greatest desire for space, space to be, to roam, to wonder and wander. The presence of religious symbolism is an attempt to revive spiritual connections in a society that often overlooks spirituality in favour of materiality. Furthermore, in this exhibition, Ocheja uses the pilgrim archetype to reference pilgrims of old-Hindus, Buddhists and Christians alike-for whom the colour yellow symbolised knowledge, enlightenment and spiritual growth. Thus, he elevates happiness to sacred contemplation.
In truth, Ocheja’s characters are not so much striving for happiness as they are already in their gardens of pure bliss, enjoying the fruits of their journey irrespective of the simplicity of their physical reality. In A Pilgrim’s Journey, moments of domestic life are captured in Ocheja’s paintings as visual journal entries, reminding us that like a pilgrim, we must retain a journey-oriented mindset by shifting away from the romanticisation of the destination, to focus on the people and social relationships that make the destination tangible and rewarding. Again, we are reminded that happiness is not just an individual pursuit but a shared experience that brings people together and uplifts those who are struggling. It is a journey of noble curiosity.
Curated by Princess Ayoola
Curatorial Advisory by Azu Nwabgogu
Date: 22nd April – 21st May 2023
Venue: Alliance Française de Lagos /Mike Adenuga Centre, 9 Osborne road, Ikoyi, Lagos
Exhibition Installtion Image.
Johnson Ocheja engaged in collaborations with artists across various mediums, encompassing sound, performance, ceramics, and painting.
Collaboration with Olu Atere, Azeez Afeez and Jedalo
Collaboration with Laisa and Semako
Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, the Minister for Development, paid a visit to the Alliance Française Lagos to explore Johnson Ocheja’s solo exhibition, guided by Princess Ayoola, the curator of the show.
