The Gallery of African Art (GAFRA) presents Cequel II, an exhibition by Nigerian artist Olu Amoda. Cequel II will feature a selection of new and recent works fashioned from discarded materials salvaged from the streets and scrapyards of Lagos. The internationally renowned sculptor takes his cue from the hustle of daily city life – his works reflecting the environment of Nigerian contemporary society. Amoda welds steel and bolts metal scraps to create intricate forms that range from monumental structures to small delicate works. The final composition of each piece is only decided upon by Amoda, once he has acquired all the component parts.

For years, the ordinary steel element has been a recurrent component of Amoda’s practice. This he combines with cans, oil filters, plexiglass and even a computer mouse, as seen in Crime & Conflict Index II (2013). He is interested in the former lives of the objects he uses and in the new meanings they take on when they are assembled. In Capsule III (Rosemary) (2009), snarled nails are knitted together creating an intricate slender coat of steel. Amoda, in his own words states: “Nails are used in my work as a metaphor. They have survived generations and remain one of the most ideal and enduring pieces of engineering. Nails depend on the notion of shared responsibilities, like ants. Small but lethal, a nail is able to defend itself, but yields to the will of the craftsman. What we call little things are merely the causes of great things: they are the beginning, the embryo and the point of departure, which generally speaking, decides the whole future of an existence.” 

Opening times: Monday – Friday, 10am-6pm and Saturday, 11am-4pm Admission: free. Gallery of African Art, 9 Cork Street, London W1S 3LL Nearest Underground Station: Green Park (Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria lines) info@gafraart.com

Olu Amoda was born in Warri, Nigeria. He graduated in sculpture from Auchi Polytechnic in 1983, and was awarded a Masters of Fine Arts from Georgia Southern University in 2009. Amoda has worked as an Artist-in-Residence in Villa Arson in Nice, France (2000); the Bag Factory in Johannesburg, South Africa (2003); at the Appalachian Statue University in Boone, North Carolina (2006) and at the New York Design Museum (2010). 

Amoda’s work can be found in many local and international collections including the New Ark Museum in New Jersey, USA. He has exhibited around the world, including the Museum of Art & Design, USA; the Didi Museum, Nigeria; the 6th Biennale de L’Art African Contemporain, Senegal and the Victoria & Albert Museum, UK. Olu Amoda is the founder of Riverside Art and Design Studios in Yaba, Lagos. He has taught Sculpture and Drawing at the School of Art, Design and Printing at Yaba College of Technology in Lagos since 1987. Olu Amoda lives and works in Lagos, Nigeria. 

Gallery of African Art – Over the past decade the visibility of African art has been steadily increasing through exhibitions, publications, auctions and cultural exchange. The Gallery of African Art Ltd (GAFRA) is dedicated to showcasing the best of 20th Century and Contemporary visual art from the African region and its Diaspora. The gallery aims to present established and emerging African artists to new audiences within the global art market. 

www.gafraart.com