ABDULRAZAQ AWOFESO: b.1978
Fragments from the City, 2017.
About:
“Being limited is what I have always resented as an artist, I strive to be free thus reflective in my work”.
Fragments from the City, 2017.
Abdulrazaq Awofeso is a Nigeria based sculptor whose methodology is based on the notion of constructivism; adding to the structural form rather than deducting. His compositions, often figural in form, portray notions of bureaucracy and the constraints within the political, social and economic urban sphere. Awofeso delves into how these societal constructs affect our present experiences. His work responds to his locale as an African contemporary artist while simultaneously highlighting the corruption and deceit that underlies the interconnected, global societal façade. Awofeso’s figural sculptures aim to stigmatize and challenge the manner in which certain sects are perceived through their appearances be they religious or corporate institutions. In 2003 Awofeso attended the Johannesburg Art Gallery residency programme and had his first solo exhibition Fragments of the City at the Goethe Institute Johannesburg. In 2012 he had his second solo exhibition Insitu at Fred Gallery, London.
World Trade Centre, 2014.
Awofeso exhibited in group exhibitions some of which include; Field of Vision in New York, Challenge of the Cravat; a travelling Croatian government group exhibition, Far and Wide at the ABSA Art Gallery, Fragile at the Maiden Alley Cinema Gallery in Kentucky USA and Space at the Museum of Africa. Most recently his work has been exhibited at the 2014 Dakar biennale in Senegal and he is the recipient of the Thami Mnyele Foundation residency in Amsterdam. Awofeso’s sculptural installations are housed in private, public and corporate collections, namely the UNISA art collection, Nandos (West Africa, South Africa, Middle East and Europe), and the ABSA foundation.
Fragments from the City, 2013.
SOLO EXHIBITION 2012 Insitu, Fred London Gallery, London, UK Art Across the Space, King Kong Space , Johannesburg, S.A 2011 Fragments from the City, Goetheonmain, Johannesburg,S.A 2007 Fragile, Maiden Alley Cinema Gallery,Paducah, Kentucky USA 2004 Life In(to) Sojourn, Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg, S.A 2003 First Step, Goethe Institute, Johannesburg, S.A
Fragments from the City, 2017.
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2014 Of(f) Africa, Sulger-Buel-Lovell, London, UK Plein Air Sculpture,Schloss Brenitz, Germany 2013 Housewarming,Atlantic House Studios, Cape Town, S.A Cache, Intoto Gallery, Johannesburg, S.A 2012 B.Archive 1, Becomo Art Gallery,Johannesburg, S.A Passengers,Hanina Gallery,Tel Aviv, Israel Risk More, IFAS,Johannesburg, S.A 2011 Dislocating the Studio, Wits School of Arts, Johannesburg, S.A Zoo City, Old Fort Mess Hall, Johannesburg, S.A 2010 Space: Currencies in Contemporary African Art, Museum Africa, Johannesburg, S.A 2009 Blindly Coloured Sight, Lions Club,Potchefstroom, SA 2008 Artbank Joburg sculpture exhibition, Spaza Art Gallery, Johannesburg, S.A 2007 Open Think Box, Wits Origin Centre, Johannesburg, S.A Liquidart, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, S.A 2006 Hope,Healing and Compassion, Suncity,Rustenburg, S.A 2005 Challenge of the Cravat (travelling exhibition sponsored by the Croatian government to over twenty countries) Far and Wide, ABSA Gallery,Johannesburg, S.A Visual Arts Network of South Africa exhibiton, VANSA, Johannesburg, S.A 2003 247 Residency Exhibition, Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg, S.A New Compositions, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, S.A Small Wonders, Gallery Vertigo,Vernon BC,Canada