Tunji Adeniyi-Jones
Orange Jungle.
Quotes:
“Often when people ask me where I’m from and I tell them London, they want a bit more, because I’m black. This is the main theme of my current work – cultural expectation and black identity, specifically in the UK. I’d say my most recent work is extremely self indulgent and personal. It’s definitely all about me and how I feel, but in many ways I’m also trying to speak to a much broader issue that applies to every black male in the country. I’m not necessarily trying to make any radical differences or changes, just raise awareness. I’m a huge fan of Steve McQueen’s recent film ’12 Years a slave’ because of the way in which it does just that; raise awareness. The significance lying in the fact that McQueen is a British director, and he’s trying to address racial issues that are frequently swept under the rug and dismissed in this country. I’d say he’s definitely a figure I look up to at the moment.” (from PeelSlowlyAndSeeBlog, Feb.2014)
I grew up in a house full of traditional West African sculptures, paintings, prints, and textiles. Being around those objects at such a crucial time of my development has undoubtedly affected my current taste and preferences.(SkinDeep, 2016)