For 'In Situ: Encounters of Place', kó Gallery show six artists

'I Dare To Dream (mixed media on canvas, 48x48 inches, dated 2022), by Ayotunde Ojo.

IN paintings and mixed media, Asemahle Ntlonti, Ayanfe Olarinde, Ayotunde Ojo, Sesse Elangwe, Stephen Price and Talut Kareem on October 29, opened their group exhibition titled In Situ: Encounters of Place, showing till November 6, 2022 at kó Gallery, 36 Cameron Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. 

According to kó Gallery, the artists, in the exhibition, reflect on the concept of place and origin in rapidly changing social, political, and economic realities. Curated by Otsholeng Poo, the exhibition gives the artists the right space to offer perspectives into people's shifting understanding of home as a defining element of personal history and a marker of belonging. The gallery statement from kó explained that in an era marked by unprecedented levels of migration and the rise of digital worlds capable of collapsing barriers of space, time, and culture, the works on diaplay probe the people's position in the real and virtual world around us.

Curatorial Note from kó Gallery:

"Ayanfe Olarinde’s ink and acrylic works continue her exploration of the “scribbling” technique for which she is well known. In a blend of harmonious and fluid forms, these works capture the tense balance between order and chaos. In Stale Wine, Ayotunde Ojo depicts ordinary moments in the lived experiences of the average person. While Talut Kareem’s charcoal and pastel works combine the artist’s interest in scenes of youthful self-expression with his dynamic use of abstract patterns, Stephen Price employs expressive brush strokes in works like Golden Summer to create a “physicality of texture that is both rough and soft." Inspired by themes of identity and enlightenment, Sesse Elangwe’s acrylic paintings take the portrait into bold territory. Using media as disparate as soap and polypropylene thread, Asemahle Ntlonti’s work combines intuitive practice with politically astute commentary."

 Artists bios:

Asemahle Ntlonti (b. 1993) graduated from the University of Cape Town’s Michaelis School of Fine Art with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2017, where she majored in sculpture. She was awarded the 2018 Young Female Residency by The Project Space, a non-profit cultural institution founded by the late Benon Lutaaya in Johannesburg, South Africa. In 2019, Ntlonti attended a residency at the South African Foundation for Contemporary Art (SAFFCA) in Knysna and Saint Emilion, France. Ntlonti’s work has been exhibited widely in South Africa and abroad. Her work has been exhibited at WHATIFTHEWORLD; Blank Projects; Stevenson, Amsterdam; Galerie EIGEN + ART, Leipzig, Germany; and RESTUDIO, Johannesburg. In 2019, her work was included in several group exhibitions at SMAC Gallery; Open 24HRS; and Gallery MOMO in Cape Town.

Ayanfe Olarinde (b. 1996) is a self-trained visual artist currently exploring scribble art and photography. In 2018, she graduated from the University of Lagos with a BSc. in Microbiology. In 2018, she was shortlisted for the GTBank Days of Dorcas Photography Contest. In 2019, she was nominated for the Future Awards, and went on to win the First Bank Magic 125 Creative Contest. In 2020, she was listed amongst the 100 Most Inspiring Women in Nigeria. In 2019, she exhibited alongside other photographers at the 25th Bamako Encounters, Mali – OFF exhibition, and the Live-In Desires exhibition by the Goethe Institute Nigeria and The Nlele Institute. She has participated in group exhibitions at SMO Contemporary, Retro Africa, AAF Lagos and Rele Gallery.

  Ayotunde Ojo has a degree in Graphic Design from Yaba College of Technology. He worked as a junior art director with Rosabel Advertising for a year, after which he decided to focus on his practice as a full-time studio artist. His work has been featured in a number of fairs and kó exhibitions including Future Fair’s Virtual Holiday Market, 2020; Domesticity at Volery Gallery, Dubai, 2021; Harper’s Books 36 Paintings, East Hampton, NY, 2021, and a solo exhibition at Future Fair, NYC, 2021.

  Stephen Price (b. 1995) was born and raised in Italy after his parents emigrated from Ghana, and later relocated with his family to Birmingham UK. He graduated from the University of Northampton with BA Fine Art Painting and Drawing. In 2021, he was selected for the Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition and was awarded the Society’s Patron’s Prize. In 2021, he took part in the group exhibition, 4x4+1 at Chilli Art Projects, London.

  Sesse Elangwe (b. 1994) is a Cameroonian visual artist from the region of Buea. He currently

lives and works in San Antonio, Texas. His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions including Dawn, Mitochondria Gallery, Houston, 2022; Where is my hat, Showbonain, California, 2021; Group Show, 19 Karen Contemporary Artspace, Australia, 2021; Patrimoine collectif contemporain, Doualaart, Douala, 2021; Awakening, Chilli Art Projects, London, 2021; Concordant Conveyances, Mitochondria Gallery, Houston, 2021; The Last Pictures Show, Alliance Française, Lagos, 2021; Patrimoine collectif contemporain (Group Show), Doualaart, Douala, 2020; The Kai, Annie Kadji Gallery, Douala, 2020; and The Last Pictures Show, Douala, 2019.

  Talut Kareem (b. 1994) is a contemporary artist based in Lagos, Nigeria. He received his National Diploma in Mass Communication at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, and subsequently pursued a B.A. in Visual Art from the University of Lagos. His work has been featured in exhibitions including Unusual Suspects, African Artists’ Foundation, Lagos, 2021; Stop, listen!, CFHILL Gallery, Sweden, 2021; Sublime: Between Solid and Vapour, Rele Art Gallery, Lagos, 2020; and Next of Kin, Thought Pyramid Art Centre, Lagos, 2018. He was recently featured in a group exhibition titled SELF ADDRESSED curated by Kehinde Wiley at Jeffrey Deitch Gallery. He has participated in artist residencies including the Rele Arts Foundation Young Contemporaries, 3 x 3 x 3 Artists in Residence, and the AAF Artist in Residence Program at the African Artists' Foundation in Lagos.

About the gallery.

kó is an art gallery based in Lagos, Nigeria, that is dedicated to promoting modern and contemporary art. kó has a dual focus in championing Nigeria’s leading artists from the modern period and celebrating emerging and established contemporary artists across Africa and the Diaspora.