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RlIDING THE SPIRIT OF OGUN: TheArt o f OluAmoda F o r rhc past four a::d a ka:f years : havc hs:lo\vcd C)!x .irnocia's c;caxivc ?:ogress wI:h ;rear i~:cri.s: a::d picasare.? ,A: 3 riclc tvhcn art i : ~Sigcri;l n:c;lr:s Q * ; * . V l . * * L * ce& ::c: i:: 1ar:guagi.s where n?ca:llng is dcf:.KS:I:C O : I C C ~ : jr; crc:~:i\,c , . csprcssio:: si:;cc the mi:d t:l:nks polyscix~ously,and objects . . . h-vc n:::.;:;7!e n:ea:lings :ha: arc ricKy c ~ C t d wi:h sy:r,bolis ::is. w'irili:: this ?olyscmousiy s~rucrirrcdrefercr:ce frarnc , * . scr::p~a:a: o:>lci:s arc co:-icri..tizcd ct:c:ar:ccs, :r:craphoric sol:::ds r:~:i; voice para>lcs, pi.rC(>:rn psovcr3s. rxnd ~larratc histories iI:z?ocnlc::es ir: co:>rc:r:porxy Sigcrir~:?::r:. I:: :he capriva:ing i Y J j i i h ~ t / ~ cf ljuearns and . . f)unrs o[i'/~radist* sc;:es, .?e constructs new forms mcan- . 9 . . ,- '"g ... frccir:~ !:is in?ag:na:ro:: prom the rcsericcivc :nodcrnisr i::j:j::ctioi~s o f "art for 2~:'s sake." Kcnchirlg inro his . . . . . , 2:-:rs::c ne:;rrqc -Tor gr:rcn::cc 0 : : modcis of "livir:g art," A:::id;: weaves !:is c!ic:::s' iderlrjries and professions inro C ,:,c i , I visxaI ::rxrra:ivcs OF :he cornn:issict::cd doors and win- . > Cows 0 1 1 orlc occ3.;io:: ) ~ c wcavcd a P~:II:C: s palcctc. illto :i:c dcbi..- , , , of -;.. ,.'I door of c,c artis: fr'ricnz's s : ~ d i o . ~ In his home at Majaro, the windows are transformed into aviary scenes behind which large philodendron creepers, broadand scalloped-leaf swamp lilies wildly bloom For a client, a single mother, he utilized a stylized form of a woman and her daughter for the central design of the heavy metal door that firmly blocks access to the client's private quarters 3 For Mydrim Gallery,4 he tastefully superimposed the gallery's logo on the abstract design of the gate where it functions as a visual marker and site locator Under Amoda's modernized translation of the living art philosophy, Windows o f Dreams and Doors of Paradise are sculptural forms in a utilitarian mode They are function art very much in the spirit of the superbly carved aafin (palace) caryatids were veranda posts, the beautifully designed basrelief wooden panels were doors, and the stylized elegant iron birds on Orisa Osanyin i 5 staffs announced the orisai are (the divinity's life-force), and iwa (essential character) New function art speaks to Nigeria's contemporary needs and life It infuses creativity into life, hence vitalizing and transforming it into a medium for creative expression Amoda extends this philosophy into everyday space by injecting art into architectural interiors so that doors, windows and gates become media for artistic expressions His bold imaginative creations mend the split between art and utility, and accord contemporary art a salience it never had in modern Nigerian life This essay explores the historical moments in Amoda's artistic creations through a philosophical reading of his politics, his affinity with metal, and his production of a certain body of work in his uniquely personal style I My introduction to Amoda's art occurred in 1989, at a group exhibition held at the Goethe Institute, Lagos Standing out from the other exhibits was Maitatsine I, a snorting metal horse in full gallop with a fiercely determined , off-angled rider intently aiming his spear at an arna (non-Muslim) prey The work is explosive The dramatic intensity of the furiously charging horse gives this superbly crafted sculpture tremendous energy and power The entire weight of the animal rested precariously on the thin narrow span of the foreleg, successfully capturing the exciting, split-second moment before the back-hoofs and the second fore-hoof thunderously pound the earth Upwards in an impressive arch, the spear and the taut extended arm of the rider sliced the air, sweeping downwards through the rider...

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