Oju - The theme

In today’s world, our generation has become increasingly dependent on our smart phones and other hand held devices. During every free moment in our hectic lives (such as lunch), we may be texting friends, checking emails, or checking and keeping up with our social networking page.
These devices and the new culture they promote are silently driving us away from the most natural and true interface of all. The face!

Without realizing it many are becoming more and more comfortable interacting and communicating via such electronic media at the detriment of “real”face-to-face interaction.
A typical scene today will sometimes feature people or friends who have perhaps met up at a restaurant but for a sizeable time their faces are glued to their screens.

Oju is the Yoruba word for eye and also face. The face is a very important window to the individual. The live face that is.. and not a “facebook” face consisting of a collection of photographs, some of which have been doctored to hide the truth.

A face can reveal much truth in a way that electronic messaging cannot.

The title of this show is Oju. It is my artistic reference to socio-cultural developments which are suddenly upon us in our time.

Not just that. But as a figurative artist, I see a face as a landscape of emotion. Valleys, mountains and rivers are all encountered many a time.

What you see is not that person, but a mere representation of that person; a window if you like, that suggests, whether through a smile, frown or whatever, an understanding of what lies beneath.

My fascination and observations of these issues coupled with my compelling (and now increasingly restless) urge to create art has given birth to this exhibition.
I have God to thank for the inspiration, opportunity and great heath to be able to share my work.

Thank you all for viewing my show.


Gbenga Orimoloye
February, 2013.