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Catalog Data

Maker:
Tayo Adenaike, born 1954, Nigeria  Search this
Medium:
Watercolor on paper
Dimensions:
H x W: 60.9 x 45.9 cm (24 x 18 1/16 in.)
Type:
Painting
Geography:
Nigeria
Date:
1999
Label Text:
A. Omotayo (Tayo) Adenaike is associated with the Nsukka Group of artists who were teachers, students or both at the University of Nsukka, Nigeria. They were known to incorporate the Igbo women's traditional art form, uli, into an aesthetic, most notably in the use of line along with negative and positive spaces. More recently, artists such as Adenaike have developed a visual language with the assistance of nsibidi that expresses a highly personalized philosophy about life, art, and meaning. Working primarily in watercolors, Adenaike adapts his training at Nsukka into a higly personalized style, where organic forms suggest emotional and imaginative psychological spaces. His use of nsibidi brings a hint of representation into an abstract realm where color and space rule. Inspired by his Yoruba childhood and life experience, Adenaike's work is topical and at times deeply personal, with subconscious elements.
Description:
Watercolor painting on paper in red, white, blue and black. The central motif is a lizard encased in a ring. Outside the ring are depictions of uli designs at various locations on the surface of the work.
Provenance:
Purchased from the artist, -- to 1999
Content Statement:
As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
Image Requests:
High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
Topic:
lizard  Search this
spiral  Search this
Credit Line:
Sylvia H. Williams Memorial Fund for Acquisitions
Object number:
99-7-1
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
National Museum of African Art Collection
Data Source:
National Museum of African Art
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys7628a8167-6847-46d2-9732-9f5dca37763b
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmafa_99-7-1