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On The Fringe – Group Exhibition

AAF and AG18 Gallery

The existential weight of freedom is not limited to the sacred and the political. The urge for freedom also finds expression in our everyday lives, especially when we compare the practicality of ordinary moments with the lofty yet hollow demands of public life. In response, the artists in this exhibition refuse to be constrained by the expectations of mainstream norms. Instead, they put the inner world on display in opposition to predominant public rhetoric. Their art magnifies our ordinary lives, particularly the world behind closed doors and the world within. Indeed, these works show us how the private space can lay the foundation for resistance to the overwhelming narratives society enforces.

In On the Fringe, the human mind, once a zone of privacy and exclusion, with its cryptic musings and inclinations, comes out of incognito and we are all invited with convivial Yoruba greetings of ekaabo, to examine and confront the diversity and interactions of culture, choice, and identity-as we find them conspicuously displayed in the works of the feature artists and in the empirical world.

AG18 gallery, ViennaRich in symbolism, idealisation and history, these works stand unbending in a landscape dominated by concepts of political correctness. They shake off the imposed notions of their institutional origins while picking up the threads of a shared imperial history. Furthermore, as the public space represents the meeting point of our multidimensional selves, the audience will discover what drives these artists to create and live through the canvas-a dedication to life. Johnson Ocheja’s portraits provide us with immediate examples of an alternative vision of identity. On the other hand, Chinaza Nkemka’s synthetic-like images require longer contemplation to be captivated by them. Talut Kareem’s polka-dotted diptych gives off a sense of fashion, resistance and self determination that comes with the sweet relief of inhabiting one’s space. Wasiu Eshinlokun’s surrealist art, as in “Unearth” asks the viewer to break free from the status quo. Michelle Okpare’s self portraits show the anxieties that follow us from the public space into our personal spaces. In one of her pieces- “Should we all have the same shape?”—she holds out the excess fabric of her trousers, contemplating her reflection in the mirror. In this way, Chinaza Nkemka’s series, “Solitude”, responds to Michelle’s work through its depiction of bodies liberated in the privacy of their own homes. Meanwhile, David Olatoye’s “Seeking Knowledge” imagines people as blossoms and reading, the watering act that takes place behind the scenes.

Participating artists are

Ayogu Kingsley | Boris Anje | Chinaza Nkemka | Damilola Opedun | David Olatoye

Emma Odumade | Johnson Ocheja | Michelle Okpare | Talut Kareem | Wasiu Eshinlokun

On the Fringe offers an avenue for reassessing the significance of the world that doesn’t always meet the eye, positioning it as the starting point of our existential musings.

Curated by Princess Ayoola
Curatorial Advisory by Azu Nwagbogu

Location: AG18 gallery, Vienna, Austria

Boris Anje's painting
IMG_2139
African Artists' Foundation
African Artists' Foundation