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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Images by Jonathan Adamu