Step into Tejumola Adenuga’s World ‘Future, Past’: A Fusion of Ancestry and Futurism

Art’s magic lies in its inherent intimacy. By stepping into another’s experience, we unlock a door to our own. It’s a vulnerable exchange, sometimes unfamiliar, yet deeply impactful. We become unwittingly interdependent with a story, fostering a sense of connection and self-discovery. This is perfectly captured in Tejumola Adenuga‘s new exhibition, ‘Future, Past,’ which takes us on a journey through Yoruba mythology – a strange yet familiar place that resonates within us.

Tejumola creates a world by evoking his family lineage tracing far back in Ijebu Ode in Ogun state, southwest Nigeria – the devotion of the artisans who clothed him, who framed his days, who bent iron through the hours of the day to make furniture, with a small body of water as a witness. In his new world, the source of creativity, resilience, joy and uncommon bravery, is the river cutting through Imoru, from which the inhabitants of the town are both restored and empowered. The river can be traced back to the primordial genesis of Yoruba cosmology in the fictional universe he has created.

In interactions with the artist, the founder and creative director of Art Twenty-one, Caline Chagoury-Moudaber who is hosting this solo show, is consumed by the interiority of his lived experiences and how he was able to successfully translate them into a contemporary, futuristic setting that resonates with the viewer. His colour blindness inspired the hues in the exhibition; his family lineage of blacksmiths further exalted his love for metal; the sub-themes of magic, freedom and creative expression on the continent echoed the primordial genesis of Yoruba cosmology.

“Future, Past” explores the past, present, and future from the perspective of a child who grew up near the river, surrounded by artisans who flourished with an elegance that transcended the mundane. It takes the viewer through an evoked sense of time and place, where time is both real and fictional, and the place remains constant; the only thing real is the individual experience of it. The thing with time is this: it is an element we can mould—sometimes into memory, sometimes into a dreamed future, and other times into both the future and the past.

This solo exhibition by multi-talented artist, Tejumola Adenuga is taking place at Art Twenty-one, a space dedicated to showcasing contemporary art, located at Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos

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