A solo exhibition by one of the finest African artists, Ludovic Fadairo, is scheduled to run from March 4 to April 2, 2023, at the Ikoyi-based Soto Gallery.
The exhibition, What We Don’t See, examines the long and accomplished career of the Beninese master in detail and in depth.
Ludovic Fadairo was born on August 21, 1947 at Zinvie and is a major figure in the narratives of contemporary art practice in his native Benin, as well as Abidjan and Bingerville in Cote d’Ivoire, where he lived for a number of years. Fadairo’s oeuvre encompasses painting, installation, collages, sculpture and works in mixed media. He seeks to understand the media he employs, which range from the traditional to the highly unorthodox including chalks, natural pigments and locally woven fabric. He often incorporates found materials, which are in themselves a work of time, history, and worship and have their place in daily or traditional life. Fadairo’s technique involves mixing paints with sand and other local substances to add colour.
At 75, his practice spans over four decades, and his output ranks among the most prodigious in contemporary art within and beyond Africa.
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This exhibition is the first major survey of Fadairo’s work in Nigeria and English-speaking West Africa.He is a well-known and esteemed figure in the intellectual and artistic communities of Europe, Asia, and the Americas. He will display works that act as a link between the creative and the spiritual.
The artist told The Guardian that he began his career in music and was even a member of a group until realizing his genius in 1972 after selling a painting for 100 CFA.
“I played different instruments as a musician, but so many people were doing music and were hungry without much prospect. When I realised I could get money from art and there were not so many artists around, I decided to focus on art fully. I went to Holland to fine tune my skills and that was the start of my journey.”
Fadairo disclosed that although he was raised in a traditional family and was raised to worship traditional gods, he eventually sought God out on his own, and this spirituality is what shapes his art.
“This is what makes my work unique and sophisticated,” he says.
Fadairo, who is from Ife, Osun State, and participated in FESTAC’77, said he is delighted and thrilled to be displaying solo for the first time and refers to it as a homecoming for him.
Painting, installation, sculpture, and works in mixed media are all included in Fadairo’s body of work. He tries to comprehend the mediums he uses, which range from conventional to extremely unconventional, including chalks and natural colors. His three-dimensional creations are vivid, expressive, and full of immediate energy. As the artist brings a variety of symbols and appealing subjects to life, Fadairo’s impeccable grasp of detail emerges and grows. The artwork of Fadairo has been displayed all throughout Asia and Europe.
