A-ARTs: Community art through digital strokes of Onigbanjo

By Tajudeen Sowole

'Neon Series' painting by Adetunji Onigbanjo.

ACROSS regions of visual cultures, every generation of artists takes a narrative that represents subsisting emotive of engagements. Perhaps taking brushstrokes through another fresh face of fine art history, artist, Adetunji Onigbanjo walks a rare, but complex path.

What's so special about an artist whose work process deviates from the traditional fine art tools application? Yes, it's nothing new, particularly in the digital age that challenges centuries-old traditional process of creating art. As much as digitally produced art is still miles away from the texture of age-long fine art resilient tradition as we know it, there is perhaps some windows to ventilate appreciation for electronically produced art.

In the 21st century populated with more imageries than all the past twenty thousand years put together, the competitive space brings out the complexity part of artists whose works are generated digitally. While mainstream outlets such as galleries, auction houses, fairs and other exhibition spaces don't see digitally produced paintings as "acceptable form of art", there seems not to be dearth of windows for such display of electronic art. The intersperse, perhaps complexity of creating art electronically, and appreciating it physically, comes as a strength for Onigbanjo's creative sojourn. Apart from the social media, which provides unlimited spaces to display digital art, the increasing volumes of online exhibitions bring much opportunities for digital artists. For Onigbanjo, who learnt the rudiments of art from using pencil, charcoal and other traditional tools, there are also the physical exhibition spaces to exhibit his works, particularly in contributing to community engagements through creativity.

In a highly elitist and conservative art appreciation, Onigbanjo seems to be generating fresh steps by taking digital art through community appreciation, as seen in quite a number of his exhibitions. Connecting community appreciation to his art, he had workshops and interactive events such as series of colouring sessions hosted in collaboration with GOA Specialty Coffee in Loughborough.

Still in the context of expanding art through community, Onigbanjo loves to see art bridging the appreciation gaps between the elitist texture and street appeals. He hopes that his forthcoming outings, for examples, in exhibition such as the Modern Painters New Decorators Members CMYK, and Tangent Gallery in Loughborough, will strengthen his link to the community end of art appreciation.

Onigbanjo's art takes strength in abstraction and portrait, with extreme boldness of the two basic genres of fine art. In his abstract works, he engages in visual optical illusion that tasks viewers through the concept of layered lines. For the portraits, the artist also comes bold and loud in colours, blurring the lines between illustrations and satirical expressions. Clearly, it's his conscious efforts to take his art through such a journey most artists would not risk.

More of interest, Onigbanjo's art takes motifs and signs from cartoon characters, strengthening the artist's brushstrokes as representing a new generation of artists capturing art through the lens of hybridised perceptions. For example, the generational gap of creating satirical images strictly through art tools like pen, pencil, paints and paper, decades ago had its influence on how art was perceived and appreciated then. Currently, with digital aides devices, fresh generation of artists are on the prowl of a new revolution that might change how art is appreciated. And when the characters or themes are from the comic or cartoon genres, as Onigbanjo's works, the stake becomes more interesting.

Still on a rare journey of creating art that gives so much to talk about within the critical and commercial appreciation spaces, Onigbanjo extends his styles onto the abstraction space. The thin line between art and design is further blurred by the abstract works of Onigbanjo titled Neon Series. For some artists, design elements are part of their identity, while other artists would always avoid getting close to avoid any ambiguity.

For an artist whose art are digitally generated, works like Onigbanjo's Neon Series assert the flexibility of the electronic art process. Whether or not such art has timelessness potential of masterpieces depends of how fast perception can catch up with the resilience of natural textures of painting on canvas.

And because art is about the people, and an artist's immediate environment, Onigbanjo's abstraction got participatory texture during one of his recent exhibitions. One of the spaces was dedicated to a large canvas of abstract art where visitors made strokes or lines of drawings, enriching the community value of the exhibition.

With art of Onigbanjo, perhaps a new dawn is here in coalescing traditional and digital art for community engagement in art appreciation. -Tajudeen Sowole is a Lagos-based Art Critic.

self-reflection inspired olusola's watercolour