Jẹ́lésinmi: An Art Exhibition on Learning and Nostalgia
Childhood recollections, in any form — literary or visual — are a personal fascination. A deft narrator or curator, beside merely evoking nostalgia, invites an audience into realms of new interpretations where the familiar takes new visceral meanings. It was my feeling when I read Orham Pamuk’s “Other Colors: Essays and a Story,” Dave Eggers’ “A Heartbreaking Work of a Staggering Genius” & Soyinka’s memoirs, especially “Ake.” Some of the stories animated parts of my childhood for new understanding.
The appeal to the nostalgic & the visceral is the aim of the exhibition at Jelosinmi Art Centre eponymously tagged “Jẹ́lésinmi.” It looms large at the modest gallery ensconced in the mainland of Lagos, evoking the Yoruba essence of learning, of community & the moulding of character.
Perhaps, the most striking work is the drape of black slates on a wall, bearing Yoruba characters. It’s a depiction of the canvas of learning whose blankness invites its holder — typically children — into their first practice in rote & creative expressions. It might also suggest that elements that become grand assets of culture begin as humble ideas, fashioned from minds trained in language & visual skills.
Amidst the assortment of works, there’s an actual installation of a Jẹ́lésinmi, with headless bodies sitting on apotis, while a recording of pupils plays in the background. One assumes that these characters symbolise the brain emptiness of learners before they’re occupied with knowledge. But it might be a signature from the artist, whose similar work, of a giant headless Fela Kuti, once graced Opebi roundabout of Lagos before it made room for a developmental road extension.
While I’m not a graduate of Jẹ́lésinmi, I’m invited to imagine my equivalent experience. And for that, the exhibition succeeds in both personal engagement and universal application.
Despite my cautious cynicism about modernist expressions, I’m tempted to challenge the artist, Sobo Abolore and his muse, to imagine what a modern Jẹ́lésinmi might look like, with modern conveniences like online classes and tablets. 😊
Well done, @oreapparels.
