Sotonye Jumbo: The Lagos based artist who made his recent debut in Abuja

Sotonye Jumbo: The  Lagos based artist who made his recent debut in Abuja

My first impression of Sotonye Jumbo (sotyj on instagram) was of a female artist who did not take herself too seriously.  I made this assumption as a significant number of the artworks online primarily focused on a hip young female exploring various forms of a futuristic dystopia.

However, this could not have been further from the truth, as this artist is an observant, pensive male who cares deeply about the world he lives in.

Sotyj

For a duration of 4 days in September, Christine Gerlach opened the doors of the Ashanti gallery for an exhibition of paintings which marked Sotyj’s debut in Abuja.

The gallery opted for a very intimate display of his works, curated in a style of  a home setting.

With acrylic, paint, fabrics, pencil, pastel and ink Sotonye is able to describe a world he has never seen, a multiverse where plugs and wires can be hair accessories and thick forests can form the backdrop of a heavily digitized female.

Archaic

He aims to communicate through these series with 15 bodies of works, something so simple; music.

I found myself unsettled by a particular drawing of his inspired by the gods of Oshogbo, which was of limbs and distorted figures, its dominant color a dull yellow and green, so much so I had to drift away.

Watching Eyes

Sotonye Jumbo is a man on a journey who can create in a week as much as he can remain focused on a piece for a year.

King David, an artist and art enthusiast, stated that the centerpiece from Sotyj’s debut in Abuja  reminds him of Omah lay, with the flowery details giving off a sponge bob vibe.

Holla

The most fascinating canvas was arguably of the female with vitiligo which was incredibly easy to miss.

Where We Fit In

Images by Jonathan Adamu

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