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Olagunju, Niyi

Born 1981 in Sagamu, Nigeria
Lives and works in Abuja, Nigeria and London, UK

Niyi Olagunju, Cookie Jar I, 2018, Hand-blown glass, gold leaf, threaded shekere net, 33 x 29 x 28 cm, 12 x 11 x 11 cm. Courtesy TAFETA  

Olagunju’s contemporary appropriation of traditional African sculptures continues his exploration of global trade and, in his words: ‘the absolute commoditisation of everything’. The sculptures, which are usually exhibited alongside preparatory sketches, are bisected vertically and have their internal surfaces primed and coated in metals mined from the region from which they are originally sourced. The project questions the value system driving the continuing growth in the sale of traditional African artifacts, which although originally made and used for specific traditional functions, are now ultimately valued according to their provenance and rarity. Olagunju’s use of precious and semiprecious metals lends consideration to the complex relationships that emerge from the exploitation of natural resources on the African continent, and its subsequent effects on communities and their cultural legacies. Recent exhibitions include African Art: The Market Now, JP Morgan, London (2016).

Selected Artists

Moustapha Baidi Oumarou

Roméo Mivekannin

Salifou Lindou

Thandiwe Muriu

Jewel Ham

Moshekwa Langa

Lewinale Havette

Abi Salami

Artists 2022

  • A

    • Abi Salami
    • Alshaikh Idrees
    • Audrey Lyall
  • B

    • Bashaer Hawsawi
    • Bertina Lopes
    • Boluwatife Oyediran
    • Bre Andy
  • C

    • Chinaedu Nwadibia
    • Cosmo Whyte
    • Cristiano Mangovo
    • Crystal Yayra Anthony
  • D

    • David Uzochukwu
    • Demarco Mosby
    • Didier Viodé
    • Dindga McCannon
    • DuduBloom More
  • E

    • Elias Mung’ora
    • Everlyn Nicodemus
  • F

    • Fahamu Pecou
  • H

    • Hend Adnan
  • I

    • Ibrahim El Dessouki
  • J

    • Jess Atieno
    • Jewel Ham
    • Joël Bigaignon
    • Johanna Mirabel
    • Johnson Ocheja
  • K

    • King Houndekpinkou
    • Kpé Innocent
  • L

    • Leila Rose Fanner
    • Lewinale Havette
    • Lord Ohene
    • Ludovic Nkoth
  • M

    • Michael Reese
    • Morgan Mahape
    • Moshekwa Langa
    • Moustapha Baidi Oumarou
  • N

    • Nicolas Coleman
  • P

    • Preston Sampson
    • Prince Gyasi
  • R

    • Renee Cox
    • Roméo Mivekannin
    • Ryan Cosbert
  • S

    • Salifou Lindou
    • Sanaa Gateja
    • Senzeni Marasela
  • T

    • taylor barnes
    • Thandiwe Muriu
  • W

    • WonderBuhle Mbambo
  • Y

    • Yoan Sorin
  • Z

    • Zéh Palito

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