Niyi Olagunju's Installations: Structures of Trade 2010

International Wed 19-05-2010

Niyi Olagunju's Installations: Structures of Trade 2010
By a Correspondent

Untitled, Wooden Pallets, Painted Basketballs, Blankets By Niyi Olagunju

Fred London (in collaboration with Tafeta + Partners) is delighted to present the first UK solo exhibition of works by British/Nigerian artist Adeniyi (‘Niyi) Olagunju.

The exhibition is comprised of various wood-based installations, a genre that has always intrigued the artist and one, which he has explored since his college days at Ruskin School of Art, Oxford University in 2009.

Using discarded wooden-pallets, the sometimes large-scale installations (Project 50, 2010) references global trade, and as a subtext, its effect on his continent of extraction – Africa.

Born in 1981 in Sagamu, Nigeria, Niyi Olagunju now lives and works in Fort Worth, Texas. After an initial fine art degree from a prominent Lagos College, (Yaba Tech), he went on to earn a BA in fine art from Oxford University.

A major deviation in-between these two relatively straight-forward path to studio practice involved a four year stint as part of the Royal Engineers with the British army, including two operational postings to Basra (Iraq) and Northern Ireland.

This phase of his life probably accounts for some of the dedication, skill and discipline required to create such large-scale installation as the amazing 9 x 7.5m, untitled, 2009, piece recently shown as part of Bonhams, Africa Now exhibition in New York, March 2010.

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