The last decade has seen art culture blossom in Africa, with consistent deliberate effort made to celebrate it. Accra’s Chale Wote Street Art Festival is a typical example of such. And female African artists are also increasingly stepping out to showcase their craft. Nigerian visual artist, Peju Alatise, has proven to be an incredible storyteller, and one to look out for in the art scene.
Her craft
Alatise tends to highlight social issues in her storytelling, and this was not lost in her work ‘Lifted’. The masterpiece was recently showcased at the South South Veza Online art fair organized by Lagos-based art space kó. In an interview with kó for the event, she asserted that the series was her way of playing with fantasy. In this installation, two young Black girls float in the air with their ankles tied by strings from balloons. The fluidity of the movement of their bodies is symbolic of children with no care in the world. In essence, nothing holds them back from being free.
Free indeed.
‘Freedom’ is the title of another incredible work by this Nigerian artist, and was also showcased at the South South Veza online platform. In this piece, a young Black girl holds a bird in one hand while another perches on her shoulder. This oneness with nature, the sense of purity and carefreeness of this art piece captures the crux of its title ‘Freedom’.
Recent accomplishment
In March 2021, Alatise’s 2012 work of mixed media textile, ‘Rapture of Olurombi’s Daughter’, was selected to be used as the book cover for ‘Transnational Feminist Itineraries’, published by Duke University Press.
To learn more about Alatise, visit here.