13 April – 6 May 2023
In The Beginning, And So It Goes… is Ayanfe Olarinde’s debut solo show in London, through which she seeks to share a visual narrative of the mythological traditions of Yoruba, one of the most prominent and widely recognised cultures in Nigeria and West Africa. Her paintings are not just a celebration of tradition and heritage but also an exploration of the human condition, touching upon themes of identity, self-image, and mental health. As Ayanfe Olarinde highlights, a painting is never truly finished but rather serves as a pause in the artist’s ongoing conversation with the world…
The title In The Beginning, And So It Goes… directly references the Creation Myth, a folktale exploring the origins of the Yoruba people. Yoruba thought is characterised by its predominantly oral narrative structure, which serves to elucidate and reveal knowledge about the causes and essence of phenomena that impact both the material and spiritual realms.
Ink, acrylic and oil pastel on canvas, 121.92 x 121.92 cm
Oluronbi and the tree visually references the story of The Spirit in the Tree, in which a desperate saleswoman offers up her child to a spirit tree who in exchange promises her great success. Vibrant and multilayered, Ayanfe’s work offers an exciting visual chronicle, but above all, a narration of the desperation of humanity, the sanctity of promise and the consequence of deceit.
Ink, acrylic, oil pastel, sticker vinyl and coffee on canvas, 121.9 x 91.4 cm
Ayanfe’s mixed media approach also allows her to explore the fluidity of form, as well as societal critique. Her engagement with a scribbling technique, for instance, imbues her work with a raw, evocative quality that resonates with audiences on a profound level, while her use of coffee in the painting pictured here questions the commercialisation and popularisation of coffee, and consequently, its undeniable impact on climate change, global economies and social structures.
