Rele Gallery will present a diverse collection of artworks by established and emerging contemporary artists at the Regus Colorado Centre in Los Angeles, United States of America on Wednesday, August 29. Time for the event is 4pm t0 8pm and the artists whose works are on display are: Victor Ehikhamenor, Ayoola Gbolahan, Marcellina Akpojotor, Tolu Aliki and Dipo Doherty.
The showcase is in the light of contemporary African art is currently gaining unprecedented interest with works of artists from the continent attracting incredible estimates both in the primary and secondary markets as gallery sales and auction results indicate, said at statement from the Onikan, Lagos-based gallery.
Ehikhamenor is an internationally renowned, multi-faceted artist whose practice encompasses painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, and installation, as well as unique perforated works on paper. Hailing from a small village in Edo State, the historic seat of the Benin Empire, he draws inspiration from the dual aesthetic and spiritual traditions, which infused his upbringing, using imagery and symbolism from both Edo traditional religion and Catholicism.
Earlier in the year, he undertook a four-week residency with Art Dubai Art Fair as part of a solo project entitled Cartographers of Dreams. He also completed a Civitella Ranieri, Italy fellowship in June 2018. His work will be exhibited next at the “International Contemporary Art Exhibition: Armenia 2018 – Soundlines of Contemporary Art” from September 25 to October 25, 2018.
Gbolahan is a visual artist based in Lagos, Nigeria. His art is a visual representation of his encounter, relationship and experience with the rest of creation- both the tangible and intangible. His works have been included in solo and group shows spanning the length of two decades. He has received numerous awards including the “54 Nigerian Art Masters” from the Greek Embassy. In 2010, he emerged as the winner of The National Art Competition organised by the African Artists’ Foundation. Ayoola’s works can be found in major corporate and private collections across the globe such as the World Bank in Washington USA, African Finance Corp, Nigeria and The Nigerian National Gallery of Arts.
Akpojotor, who recently featured in the Los Angeles Times, uses Ankara fabric as a medium to explore womanhood. The fabric she uses are revived pieces sourced from fashion houses who would otherwise discard them. The swatches of fabric are pieces of stories which she employs to create works that are filled with diverse emotions. Most recently, her work, “Tobi”, (2015) was selected by Penguin as the cover image for the novel Jagua Nana by Cyprian Ekwensi. Her first solo exhibition will be open in October 2018 at Rele Gallery.
Aliki is a contemporary figurative artist, born and raised in Nigeria. Most of his works have found their greatest expression when addressing the concept of passion, love, music, family and everyday social interactions. They exhibit a high standard of understanding and application of colours, depth of content and aesthetic beauty. Aliki has had solo exhibitions in Lagos, Nigeria, and in Lisbon, Portugal. His next exhibition will open October 2018 in Lagos, Nigeria.
Doherty employs the use of lines, woven into patterns and forms to create abstract pieces. He was selected as part of the 2016 Rele Young Contemporaries and completed an Arthouse Foundation Residency afterward. His third solo exhibition “Shards of Time” opened at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos, Nigeria in July 2018. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree at MIT.