Adire Series by Sola Olulode

ADIRE SERIES.

SOLA OLULODE, PAINTER, UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON (ALUMNI).

My paintings have been deeply influenced by the community that surrounds my life. It is also my aim to project in the artworks something that black womxn and black femmes can relate to and see the complexities of their identities reflected in.

Therefore, the bodies in my painting exist within the intersection of race, gender and sexuality and I choose to showcase the optimism in their existence. They are free, catching a vibe, having a good time, liberated and celebrating their culture in the setting of a nightclub, a place where many Black womxn and femmes can discover their sense of self.

Each canvas is stretched with my own version of Adire, an indigo-dyed textile traditionally made by Yoruba womxn in Nigeria using resist-dyeing techniques. Collage is also used to layer textiles and textures over figures bringing their saucy outfits and glorious hairstyles to life.

I am also interested in the relationship between Blackness as a colour, and identity. When showing my work I have painted the walls of the space black, both as an aesthetic choice, to enhance the indigo tones in the works, and a political one, to confront the whiteness and white walls of art institutions. It can feel very isolating to be within these institutional white walls so I have created a space where my blackness can thrive.