Dennis Osadebe joins the long list of visual artists that have collaborated with popular fashion houses and brands as he designs a new scarf for Hermes. In the past year, amongst others, Gucci has collaborated with Cinthia Sifa Mulanga and Samson Bakare, and there has been a collaboration between Zandile Tshabalala and Bottega Veneta.
Dennis Osadebe is a Nigerian mixed-media artist living in Lagos. Osadebe’s vibrant post-pop style is centred around the idea of reimagining Africa through the use of positive, provocative, and progressive imagery, and narratives, forging a dialogue where tradition meets creativity and innovation.
The statement released with the new scarf reads:
“Horses can’t surf… and most certainly not that elegantly! Nonetheless, here we can see one, designed by Dennis Osadebe, a multimedia artist from the young artistic scene in Lagos, Nigeria. Rooted in tradition and innovation, painting and digital design come together in this expression of his Neo-African art. This ensemble paints a fine figure, and certainly draws the eye! What a strange sight… a horse stands, dignified and laidback, on a surfboard floating in the middle of a calm sea. Austere to the point of striking, with its stylized shapes, flat tints of colour and embellishments inspired by African decorative motifs, it is propelled by the fan firmly harnessed to its back!”
With his characteristic use of flattened planes, minimalist geometric shapes, and bold colours, his process blurs the line between digital and physical. This distinct texture change is inherent to the narrative of the work, by providing a visual relationship between the processes of the new generation of artists and old masters together. Osadebe consequently renders each work as unique, as he removes the possibility for digital reproduction. The references to traditional materials and crafts, such as masks and colourful textiles, are inspired by the historic arts and culture of Osadebe’s home, Nigeria.
Osadebe’s practice is loaded with provocative surrealism, meaningful symbolism, and playful humour, presenting itself as a continuing investigation of the relationship between the traditional and contemporary, with Africa at its forefront.
His solo presentation, ‘Inside Out’ has been on view at The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art, New York since October 29 2021, and will close on February 13, 2023.
