MITOCHONDRIA GALLERY

RESILIENCE
Opening: 
Saturday, September 3rd, 5:00pm to 8:00pm

Public Viewing  : September 3rd to September 23rd.

Address: 2220 Commerce Street #D, Houston, TX 77002.

Mitochondria Gallery is pleased to present “Resilience,” the debut solo exhibition by Odeyemi Oluwaseun of Lagos, Nigeria. “Resilience” features figurative paintings that examine the challenges faced during the transition from adolescence to adulthood. The works in this exhibition arose from Odeyemi’s personal experiences. The path from adolescence to adulthood is a complicated and often stressful journey. The road to discovering oneself is paved with many obstacles, some of which are not glaring to a young mind. In the process of overcoming these obstacles, we learn to push the limit of our elasticity, and grow beyond our circumstances to embrace the challenge of the unknown. The process of adjusting to these challenging life experiences to attain a successful outcome is an ode to our resilience.

Exhibited Works

Bold and Courageous I. Acrylic, Charcoal, and Conte on Canvas.  40 x 40 in. 2022

Bold and Courageous III. Acrylic, Charcoal, and Conte on Canvas.  36 x 48 in. 2022

Mixed thoughts II. Acrylic, Charcoal, and Conte on Canvas.  48 x 48 in. 2022

We are strong together. Acrylic, Charcoal, and Conte on Canvas.  48 x 60 in. 2022

Attention II. Acrylic, Charcoal, and Conte on Canvas.  48 x 48 in. 2022

Fearless III. Acrylic, Charcoal, and Conte on Canvas.  48 x 48 in. 2022

Fearless I. Acrylic, Charcoal, and Conte on Canvas.  48 x 48 in. 2022

Fearless II. Acrylic, Charcoal, and Conte on Canvas.  48 x 48 in. 2022

Against all odds. Acrylic, Charcoal, and Conte on Canvas.  36 x 48 in. 2022

Attention I. Acrylic, Charcoal, and Conte on Canvas.  36 x 48 in. 2022

Time Off. Acrylic, Charcoal, and Conte on Canvas.  48 x 48 in. 2022

Old Memory. Acrylic, Charcoal, and Conte on Canvas.  36 x 48 in. 2022

Artist Statement

We are all human beings with different desires and challenges. A lot happens beyond our control and imagination. We all have challenges that we face daily and we must decide how to navigate through these moments in time. Resilience also allows us to not wallow or dwell on failure, but to acknowledge the situation, learn from our mistakes, and then move forward. You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice.

 – Odeyemi Oluwaseun

Exhibition Catalogue

About Odeyemi Oluwaseun

Odeyemi Oluwaseun, (b. 1989) is a visual artist from Ogun State in the western region of Nigeria. He currently resides in Lagos, Nigeria. Odeyemi’s formal artistic training began at the Polytechnic Ibadan, where he attained a National Diploma in Fine Art in 2015. He furthered his artistic education at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile Ife where he attained a Bachelor of Art in Fine Art in 2020.

Odeyemi Oluwaseun is a figurative painter, he works with various mediums such as oils, pastels, conte, charcoal, acrylic and watercolors. Odeyemi’s artistic language involves the use of non-continuous lines, that intersect in an anisotropic arrangement. He employs conte crayons to create depth, layers, light and texture on the skin of his subjects, in a manner that creates a tonality that is visually exclusive to Odeyemi’s work. The anisotropy in the arrangement of the colors on the skin of his subjects are always unique to the specific work, it is an ode to individuality.

The background of Odeyemi’s work features a textured monochromatic color scheme embedded with his anisotropic non-continuous intersecting lines which are usually created using acrylic paint. His combination of wet and dry media across each painting is skill Odeyemi Oluwaseun cherishes and thrives at.

The muses in his work range from people who have played an integral part in life, to people from his locality and others who have inspired him from afar. Works by Odeyemi Oluwaseun are in public collections in North America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Since 2019, Odeyemi has participated in over 12 group exhibitions across Africa, Europe, and North America. Odeyemi Oluwasen is set to make his debut solo exhibition titled “Resilience” in Houston, Texas at Mitochondria Gallery.

Select Exhibitions

  • Resilience. Mitochondria Gallery. Houston. Texas. 2022.
  • I am that I am. Blue Wall Gallery. New York City, New York 2022.
  • Serenity. Mitochondria Gallery. Houston. Texas. 2022.
  • Experience. The Kokopelli gallery. Lagos. Nigeria. 2021.
  • The Nu-frican, TAAG. Odenton. Maryland. 2021.
  • Nuances and Emotions. ArtDependence. Antwerp. Belgium. 2021.
  • La Grand Bazart. Alliance Francais. Lagos, Nigeria. 2020.