Zaria Ambassadors Return: Biodun Ladipo, Wale Ajayi Bounce Back in Boundless Space

Dipo Kehinde/

After making a mark on the art scene for a brief period some artists disappear into oblivion, some in their absence stick like a glue in the consciousness of art lovers, and there are artists who take a break and are almost forgotten only to bounce back better than ever.

Boundless Space, a joint exhibition of paintings and drawings by Dr. Wale Ajayi and Pastor Abiodun Ladipo held at Posh Hotel & Suites, at 62B, Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos falls into the last category.

Curated by Adebimpe Owoyemi, the week-long exhibition presented new wine in old bottles.

“Boundless Space is the combination of two similar techniques depicting or reincarnating the divine attributes of humans and their everyday challenges and struggles. They both pay attention and create works that describe human activities, struggles, and life in general,” Owoyemi said.

“I’m just seeing Wale Ajayi in this new series, particularly his charcoal works that are very bold and very strong. People don’t usually use charcoal to this level. I think he’s going deeper, and there’s a contrast of the light and the dark, possibly a Nigerian or African chiaroscuro coming up again,” a frontline Nigerian artist and academic, Dr. Kunle Adeyemi observed at the exhibition.

Abiodun Ladipo was so excited at the success of the exhibition, and as the saying goes, “Behind every successful man (even artists) there’s a woman. The woman behind the Pastor is his wife Caroline Amata Ladipo.

She told NewsmakersNG, “He has my encouragement because even if you’re in the Ministry, you must also do tent making. So, this is his tent making. Tent making means having a means of income apart from the Ministry, which Apostle Paul had.

“Paul the Apostle was a tent maker, apart from being a lawyer. So, at times, he made attempts to make some income for himself, so that he will not be a burden on his congregation. Also, this is God’s gift. It’s not something you just throw away. It’s also another means of expressing your faith. If you notice, some of his works veered towards the bible. I was behind him, and I encouraged him.”

According to renowned Professor of Arts and Aesthetics, Kunle Filani who wrote the introduction in the Exhibition catalogue, many things seem to have bonded Wale Ajayi and Abiodun Ladipo together. They were both born in the 1960s and went to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in the1990s. They have been close friends for decades, and interestingly, both adopted similar techniques and styles of painting. While Abiodun Ladipo is the Senior Pastor of the Grace of God, Restoration Assembly, Wale Ajayi armed with a doctorate is one of the most senior academics at the Adeyemi Federal University of Education, Ondo. He is equally noted for his piety.

Filani stated: “The two artists are well-known and recognized in Nigeria having participated in some solo exhibitions and several group-shows. They have mastered their distinctive style which incidentally appears similar. The similarity of form and content could be traced to shared training at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and likewise, religious dispositions.

“Wale Ajayi and Abiodun Ladipo trained as artists under the tutelage of a dominant lecturer named Gani Odutokun. Gani was an enigmatic painter who made significant contributions to Contemporary Nigerian Art before his demise in 1’995. He was 48 years when he departed. His influence over a good number of his students transcends those who specialized in painting.

“His major style of painting at the high point of his career was articulated as a “liquidized technique”. Gani also theorized about the concept of ” accident that induces design” to explain the development of his compositions. Gani Odutokun equally adopted a philosophical notion to explain the compositional arrangement of his paintings by exploring what he called “Unbalanced Balance Equilibrium”.  His paintings, therefore, were expressive, and colourful with flowing forms and formats.

“These characteristics that Gani Odutokun carefully enunciated evolved to become a movement for the painting graduates of the Zaria Art School.  This is perhaps more than any other reason why there are similarities between the paintings of Wale and Abiodun.

“Beyond the University training affinity which influenced their stylistic tendencies, the content of their works also seems to be informed by their Christian faith. There is a convenient meeting point between the style that dematerializes forms and gives credence to colour and special exploration, and the religious injunction that discourages the making of graven images.

“Wale Ajayi and Abiodun Ladipo seem to have considered the biblical restrictions on the making of images considering that they often apply caution in the depiction of figural forms in their paintings.

“Some of the paintings of Wale Ajayi that exhibit the above-stated characteristics include “Soulmate 2”, “In Search of Greener Pastures”, and “Strangers In Our City” which depicts firmer images and expressive linear fluency. Wale Ajayi has mastered the art of compositional balance aided by seemingly dabbed fresh colours.

“Abiodun Ladipo’s paintings are evocative in a solemn spiritual manner. He applies colourful paints on the canvas with professional confidence. Some of his paintings include “Movement Series 3”, “One for Me & One for You” and “Ornaments 3 & 4”. He produces mixed media by attaching recycled items such as metal and plastic materials on painted canvases.

“Boundless Space becomes a testimony; not only of faith but of dedication to professionalism by two remarkable artists, friends, and spiritually minded individuals who are bent to make positive marks on the sand of time.”

NewsmakersNG engaged Ladipo on some of his evocative miniature works. An already tagged one titled ‘Abandon’, a 9 by 12 inches Oil on Canvas captures the vanishing village of the artist’s grandpa. There are others with deep spiritual undertones – ‘Heaven & Earth’, ‘A Day after Tomorrow’, and ‘Illusion’. His abstract Pen & Ink drawings are also very eloquent. They bear the titles: ‘Living Water’, ‘Straight Ahead’ and ‘Exodus’. He made lots of experimentations.

The complete oeuvre of Ajayi at this exhibition is a redefinition of the artist, a clear deviation from his past. He’s had a long romance with horses in his art. They are still there, but in a new light.

Dr. Ajayi had this to say about his art and revolutionary evolution: “I believe that in the visual world, there is much more to be desired in the realm of the unseen. What is revealed to an individual is what he consciously craves to see. In other words, all of a man’s experience is insignificant to what he is divinely capacitated to do. By experience, I discovered that the subconscious remains a pool of unlimited possibilities waiting to be explored. And so, the search continues.”

Dissecting Ajayi’s art, Dr. Adeyemi said, “I’m not talking of Rembrandt, but the technics are there. The strength of the artist is so much to talk about. You can, actually, see and have a romance with the subject. That’s what art is all about, particularly when is domiciled in the culture of where we live or our environment. So, this is brave and strong, and more importantly, the combination of dark charcoal and the colours, I wouldn’t know whether it’s tempera, acrylic, or something else, a little touch of pastel. You can see how the mixed media is working. You can, actually, pick those images, those pictorials from the canvas.

“What it means is that he’s been able to use his style to bring out that 3-dimentional in a 2-dimentional form. It’s a very successful style that is, actually, evolving. Like I said, when an artist masters his trade, art, style, he begins to bring out some effusions that will stand the test of time.”

Watch Boundless Space Art Exhibition:

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