Fellows

Project at ZK/U - Folakunle Oshun

Folakunle Oshun ( Nigeria )

He indeed is delighted about his coming residency at the ZK/U. The residency strikes a crescendo to the last two years of work at my space and he believes it would afford him the time to reflect, and glean on new ideas. He looks forward to meeting and engaging with other artists from across the world. 

He believes there is a stereotype and false expectation on the ideals of the aesthetic and narrative of African art; even in contemporary terms. He would like to have a first hand experience of Western perceptions of an African rhetoric and sample the reaction to my own juxtapositions. He regularly observes non-Africans on vacation or Expatriates who try to make sense of the art scene in Lagos. They mostly end up buying pieces for purely anthropological reasons and soon realize that these souvenir pieces are mass produced, even by professional artists. This he perceives is due to either a disconnect between the African artist and the rest of the world or the constant need for the West to satisfy a certain exotic aesthetic taste. He believes it is impossible for artists in a civilized society to honestly create archeological pieces without a waiting market. Herein lies the waterloo of the contemporary African artist. He hopes to share his ideas with young art enthusiast/academics on the significance and relativity of the interpretation of contemporary African art.

This residency is made possible with kind support by the Hagen Eidel