Abidemi Olowonira Between Time and Space
Opening Reception: November 6, 2015 6-‐8pm November 6 – December 4, 2015
SAMARA Gallery is pleased to present Between Time and Space, a solo exhibition by Abidemi Olowonira. This new body of work engages in a dialectic discourse, which finds grounding in transcultural dynamics; a notion that enables Olowonira to frolic in the nerves of globalism, as both migrant and human, while using his works as a platform to narrate stories within a larger story. Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria’s rich history of sculptures and contemporary regenerative street arts, Olowonira’s first art lessons came from his grandmother’s tie and dye workshop. Later in Texas, he was exposed to leather as a medium of expression, while working as a gun-‐holster designer. Finally, his travels exposed him to Chinese and Arabic calligraphy in the two-‐and-‐a-‐half years spent in Central Asia and the Middle East. Ultimately, Olowonira explores space, shapes, and voids, and enhances these elements with the luminosity of light while creating a metaphor of everyday life. Abidemi Olowonira is a Nigerian-‐born artist who recently completed his MFA in sculpture at the Houston Baptist University. He previously earned his BFA in drawing from Texas Southern University. He works in Houston, TX. This is his first solo exhibition.
Preclude: Eni, Eji, Eta, Erin, Arun, Efa, Eje, Ejo, and Esan, Leather, 14” x 14”
Epiphany / The Rise, Leather and fur, 63” x 43”
Of Being, Leather and fur, 20” x 16”
I Know Not, Leather and fur, 48” x 36”
Masquerade Epiphany 1, Leather, 50” x 27”
Masquerade Epiphany 2, Leather, 50” x 27”
Untitled, Leather and fur, 52” x 52”
Self Portrait 1, Leather and fur, 48” x 36”
Study for HWE, Leather, fur, and watercolor on paper, 48” x 36”
Element Series, Leather, 14” x 21” and 21” x 21”
Corner Piece, Leather and fur, 57” x 37”
Masquerade Epiphany 77, Leather and fur, 33” x 23”
Self Portrait 2, Leather, fur, and stainless steel, 37” x 35”
Yet the Sun Looms Large on the Horizon, Leather and fur, 37” x 36”
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3911 Main St. Houston, TX 77002 713 999 1009 info@samaragallery.com