Akindiya Rasheed: The Master Technician

Ghana Wed 04-06-2008

Akindiya Rasheed: The Master Technician
By John Owoo/africancolours.com

Whether portraying the menace of HIV, devastation of the environment or creating awareness of the Millennium Development Goals, young artist Akindiya Rasheed Olaniyi’s works evoke diverse characteristics that suggest mankind’s lost intimacy with reality.

His recent work, which is currently on show at the Goethe-Institut in Accra, reveal him as a master technician ever willing to experiment in bid to enforce his messages while commenting on issues and problems confronting Africa – and indeed the world at large.

^{Plastic bottles installation by Akindiya Rashid}

Employing the use of discarded plastic water bottles, he creates emotionally charged installations that question the apparent disparities between the North and South while calling for some kind of solution to bridge the gap linking the so called third and first worlds.

He further installs bottles in the form of a globe and surrounds them with plastic jerry cans on which he pastes diverse messages ranging from the rule of law, natural resources, unemployment, education, environment, health and agriculture. He lays a painted sac which leads to what he calls “promised land”.

A web-like cloth with human figures fashioned out of plastic water bottles are adorned with texts that comment on socio political issues – prostitution, bribery/corruption, child trafficking, crude oil prices and clean water.

^{Untitled painting by Akindiya Rashid}

While commenting on general inequalities in the world, the artist effectively raises the issue of the environment and recycling. His reliance on abandoned plastic water bottles point to a possible partial solution to the problem of managing the ever increasing water sachets and bottles dumped daily on the streets of Accra and other cities.

In other works Akindiya uses white, black and grey colours to paint grids on canvasses while incorporating items such as discarded shoes, bandages, telephone cards, Cds, cassettes, ropes and twines to create exciting collages.

His collages, which are characterised by grainy colourations, transmit messages that embrace topics raging from religion, history and unity while using symbols from several African cultures to embellish them.

The exhibition, which was opened by the Deputy Head of Mission at the German Embassy in Accra Jana Orlowski, was organised and presented by the Gothe-Institut in Accra.

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