An Artist’s Postcards, Masks and Other Identities
From old photographs of Black life in Princeton and Ithaca to the body politics she knows more intimately, Onome Daniella Olotu’s forthcoming Lagos solo exhibition moves between the places she
Onome Daniella Olotu's upcoming solo exhibition, "Before We Know Ourselves," at Soto Gallery in Lagos, explores her experiences living in Princeton and Ithaca and the identities she has encountered along the way. The exhibition, which runs from November 4 to December 15, is divided into two series: Postcard Series and Mask Series.
In the Postcard Series, Olotu uses photographs and documents from Princeton and Ithaca to create paintings that resemble postcards. For example, in "Sage Hall, 1875," a painting of Lawrence University in Wisconsin, handwritten words and a green vintage postage stamp with a cancellation mark contrast with the steep gables and arched windows of the historic building.
Another example is "Sunday Gist at Griggs Corner Amoco" (Postcards from Princeton), a full-sized painting of three women in vintage clothes and hats standing outside a classic blue car at an Amoco petrol station.
The Mask Series focuses on the human body and body politics. Olotu portrays big-bodied people dealing with body shaming and body dysmorphia, stretching and blurring their figures, pushing them out of shape with scratched lines and screen-printing. The resulting paintings challenge viewers to consider what it means to be in places that question their presence.
Olotu's work aims to retain what works in Nigeria while acknowledging its shortcomings, and her exhibition showcases her continued commitment to being authentic despite ongoing questions about her identity.
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