In my artwork titled "Why Uncle Yemi?", I explore a question that arose in my mind as I looked at my friend who I hadn't seen in years. Seeing his gaunt body, I felt concerned and sympathetic towards his living conditions. I learned that he rarely eats and prefers snacks, and also indulges in smoking. I felt that I could have done more to support him and regret not asking him this question, which may have helped him to break free from the difficult situation he had found himself in. Unfortunately, we have lost touch again, but I hope that when we reconnect in the future, this question will no longer be on my mind.
From painting with charcoal to blending with palm oil, both require brush strokes because of the canvas texture, which simulates the painting experience for me. This elegance is comprehended through the appeal of both visual and aromatic senses, due to the sublime and striking bronze-like hue of the figures, as well as the innocuous aura of the organic substance.
Palm oil’s versatility in our traditional African meal, and its tremendous export record, makes it the appropriate medium to showcase African veracity through Body Language series.
My use of palm oil to depict African anatomical figures, aims to tell tales of the raw and harsh reality of stigmatization to individuals living with body scars, body shaming, and body deformities caused by poverty, accidents, and genetics. As I have been inspired by my own scars, awakening a realization that ‘scars are tattoos’, beget the desire to capture my audience's empathy towards those who fall short of society’s standard of a beautiful body anatomy.
This figure painting is created on stretched canvas, using paint brush to apply the shades and tones of charcoal due to the surface texture of the canvas. I use erasers to lift off excess charcoal, and smudge the surface using a clothing piece. Lastly, blending with palm oil using a brush gives off a soothing fragrance of a traditional African meal.
