Portfolio and Artist's Statement

I'm a product of several influences and traditions, thus, in my work I try to reconcile and integrate these various things. Much of my approach to painting is an attempt to transform traditional imagery and iconography to a more modern setting. Sometimes the intent is to evoke the long forgotten, at other times it is to educate or highlight the unknown. Politics, history, literature, and various other facets of the human experience show up, somehow, someway, either in theme or in execution. The underlying premise of my work, I would say is: tell your own story, whether in an individual, ethnic, or national context.

Jide Aje

I'm by nature inquisitive and therefore I live a very information dense life. So exploration and experiment are good adjectives for describing the way I work. Drawing and color are very fundamental to my practice. I love to draw. I draw tirelessly, on a daily basis. The proper word for what I do daily may actually be design, because I believe that's what most of my drawings are in terms of content and intent.

Generally there are several bodies of work being produced at any given time. I would describe many of them as genetic experiments or experiences that will contribute to other apparently unrelated finished pieces at some point in time. Many do not always follow a chronological sequence, hence, a recent motif or technique may find itself in a work of earlier vintage or period. I've been able to build a fairly interesting and diverse gene pool that contributes in terms of technique to my work. And because of this constant whirl and back and forth I have a hard time considering a piece finished. I would describe my most recent pieces as improvisational, essentially created on the spur of the moment. One of the quests of artists of a general background/experience similar to mine is to produce contemporary art that is a unique and honest result of that experience. If the study and production of art for its own sake in the modern context is relatively recent, the materials and techniques do not match the iconic references, and one has been long divorced from the old traditions, what sort of art does one produce? Can one synthesize something new? Something unique that tells the story of its lineage? That manages to stand out amidst the clutter and competition of the contemporary art milieu.

The answer of course is yes. This quest is of course by its very nature difficult and tedious. A road littered with disasters, frustrations and doubts, reworks and discards. Mostly rewarding . . . that's the road I'm on.

Africa Series #24610B (2010) by Jide Aje. Acrylic and mixed media on cardboard (h: 30" x 40").

Africa Series #24610A (2010) by Jide Aje. Acrylic and mixed media on cardboard (h: 30" x 40").

Pupa, dudu ati funfun #2 (1992) by Jide Aje. Acrylic and mixed media on canvas (h: 30" x 40").

Pupa, dudu ati funfun #3 (1992) by Jide Aje. Acrylic and mixed media on canvas (h: 30" x 40").