A-ARTs: Two decades of Owoyemi's diverse layers in 'Becoming...'

Dialogue (repousee assemblage sculpture, 97/54 cm, dated 2026) by Taiwo Owoyemi.

By Ola Alowoloke

In celebrating two decades of studio practice, artist, Taiwo Owoyemi showcases a retrospective of questions asked, risks taken, and truths uncovered. Dialogue, 2026. Repousee assemblage sculpture, 97/54 cm

The exhibition titled Becoming..., showing from September 19-26, 2026, at National Museum Onikan, marks the artist's 20 years of specificity in mixed media. The title speaks to two seasons. Prospect is the beginning: the quiet hope, the experiments in the studio, the searching.

In over two decades, mixed media has been Owoyemi's language, allowing him to make diverse layers — paint over textile, collage beside found objects, and texture against text. For each layer, comes a decision. Each material carries history. In combining them, Owoyemi tells stories of identity, resilience, faith, and of the Nigerian experience — both intimate and collective. Exploring the subject of Choice as an unavoidable human response to social realities.

The works in the exhibition span from his earliest explorations to the most recent statements. This include the evolution from tentative marks to bold compositions, from borrowed forms to a voice that is distinctly his. But beyond technique, what remains constant is the intention — to create work that invites reflection, that dignifies people's everyday life, pointing to something larger than itself.

Curator of Becoming..., Abisola Akindeinde notes that the exhibition brings together a reflection on a practice that has remained in constant motion for nearly two decades. Akindeinde explains that "The ellipsis in the title is deliberate: it asks us to pause at the word becoming and consider what lies beyond it." The curator states that the question has been central to Owoyemi's artistic journey.

Akindeinde listed such questions to include: What can this material become? What can an overlooked object become when given another life? And what can our everyday experiences become when translated into art?

The curator tracks Owoyemi's trajectory from the artist's exploration of discarded materials through collage, gradually developing what he calls Repoussé Assemblage Sculpture (RAS)—a process that grew from the traditional repoussé technique of working metal from the reverse. Akindeinde recalls that the artist's discovery of discarded aluminium beverage cans opened an expansive material vocabulary: aluminium foil, lithographic plates, wood and other found materials became surfaces for cutting, pressing, bending, assembling and layering.

Excerpts from Akindeinde's Curatorial Note; "Contemporary examples of his practice also reveal the inclusion of brad nails, tempera, galvanised mesh and plastic waste, demonstrating that his material investigation has never been limited to aluminium alone.

"Across these materials, Owoyemi has developed a visual language in which the material itself becomes part of the story. His aluminium assemblages can take on the visual character of painting, relief sculpture and even tapestry-like wall works, while his use of plastic waste and mesh expands the work into more openly sculptural and installation-oriented territory. His earlier works have addressed personal choices, psychological and social conditions, while works such as Man and His Environment directly connect his material choices to our relationship with the environment."

In a Foreword of the exhibition catalogue, President of the Guild of Professional Artists of Nigeria (GFA), Duke Asidere writes that after twenty years of consistent practice, Owoyemi "puts his foot forward and offers a glimpse into his mind yet again." Asidere recalls that in the last few years, the artist "has interrogated more materials." For example, Asidere cites Owoyemi's application of "aluminum and soda can," and also adopting materials to be useful for other purposes with most of his works on wood panels.

Owoyemi stated that beyond being retrospective, the exhibition is also a thanksgiving. "To God, the owner of the land and the fullness thereof. To mentors, collectors, family, and friends who believed in the prospect before it became prominent. And to you, the viewer, who completes the work by engaging with it."

Excerpts from Owoyemi's Artist Statement: "As a multidisciplinary upcycling visual artist, I work with discarded materials to explore what it means to become. Each piece is a vibrant tapestry of texture, born from what was once overlooked and deemed without value. Through repurposing waste, I challenge our perceptions of consumption and ask: what else can be made new?

"Becoming is an invitation to see beyond the limitations we place on materials, and on ourselves. It is a reflection on choice, on change, and on the beauty that emerges when broken things are given a second life."

Owoyemi (b. 1986), formally trained as an artist at the Obafemi Awolowo University, and University of Benin in 2006 B.ED, and 2015 MFA, respectively. He is a Member of Society of Nigeria Artists (SNA) and Guild of professional fine artists of Nigeria (GFA).

Owoyemi has four solo exhibitions to his credit, with the most recent “Spectrum and Strings attached”, held at the Pier Harbour Residence V.I Lagos, Nigeria, in February 2025.