by Caitrina Cody

Right now, London’s brutalist landmark, the Barbican Centre, should be hosting an exhibition dedicated to the work of Nigerian-American artist Toyin Ojih Odutola. A Countervailing Theory is the first-ever UK commission by the multimedia artist, but sadly, like so many other cultural exhibitions around the world, it has been indefinitely postponed. To celebrate Ojih Odutola's work, ALHAUS invites you to view her immense chalk and charcoal portraits the only way we can for the moment – online.

To The Next Outpost (right) from A Countervailing Theory (2019) © Toyin Ojih | This is How You Were Made (left); Final Stages from A Countervailing Theory (2019) © Toyin Ojih Odutola

For A Countervailing Theory, the artist has woven a tale of a fictional ancient civilisation in central Nigeria dominated by female rulers and served by male labourers. Gathered from an eclectic range of references from ancient history to popular culture, Ojih Odutola investigates the power dynamics at play within this prehistoric community. Set within a surreal landscape inspired by the rock formations of Plateau State in Nigeria, the story challenges preconceived notions of colonial history, gender roles, sexuality and the natural environment.

Ojih Odutola’s works often take the form of monumental portraits, which retain a remarkable intimacy despite their scale. Approaching the process of drawing as an investigative practice, she uses her intense engagement with mark-making to explore its potential for meaning. Ojih Odutola recognises that the pen is ‘a writing tool first’, playing with the idea that drawing can be a form of storytelling. She proposes speculative fictions through her practice, inviting the viewer to enter her vision of an uncannily familiar, yet fantastical world. Working akin to an author or poet, she often spends months crafting extensive imaginary narratives, which play out through a series of works to suggest a structure of episodes or chapters.

Ojih Odutola’s previous work has addressed the malleable nature of identity and the role of place in shaping this concept throughout history. She has explored the socio-political construct of skin colour to question what is understood by ‘blackness’, scrutinising this notion through the lens of aesthetic, historical, political, conceptual and emotional principles. Her works show a persistent attention to the texture of skin, achieving extraordinary luminous effects; the topography of the flesh conveys the nuanced histories of her subjects. Ojih Odutola’s works subvert the grand tradition of portraiture and painting, deftly elevating the medium of drawing.

Semblance of Certainty, (2019) © Toyin Ojih Odutola

The Unwrapping (left), (2018) © Toyin Ojih Odutola | Suspicions (right); Left Behind from A Countervailing Theory (2019) © Toyin Ojih Odutola

About Toyin Ojih Odutola: Toyin Ojih Odutola was born in 1985 in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, but currently lives and works in New York. In previous work, she has explored identity and the role of place in shaping it throughout history, as well as the socio-political construct of skin colour and a persistent attention to the texture of skin, often achieving extraordinary luminous effects. Stay tuned for new dates for A Countervailing Theory by Toyin Ojih Odutola on the Barbican Centre's website.