jacki long: Day 4269: Awodiya Toluwani, The Derby.

Saturday, May 4, 2024

Day 4269: Awodiya Toluwani, The Derby.

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Portraits and Landscapes Emerge from ‘Scarred’ Canvases in Awodiya Toluwani’s Paintings.

“The Milkmaid” (2022), acrylic on textured canvas, 61.81 x 48.82 inches

Whether portraying a quiet domestic scene or a sweeping landscape, Awodiya Toluwani’s striking paintings are connected through a unique surface. As much a subject of the work as his portraits, each canvas is covered in relief marks that imitate scars, or tribal marks, historically common to several Indigenous cultures in Africa. When European colonial governments began to condemn and criminalize the practice, it declined or disappeared altogether. But for some, continuing the tradition meant performing an act of resistance.

“Sweat and Blood” (2022), acrylic on textured canvas, 59.84 x 77.95 inches

Toluwani’s paintings are created on this textured “skin,” layering empowered portraits and atmospheric scenes over the dark legacy of colonialism and human enslavement. The artist considers both the physical scars of slavery—inflicted by whips and cane lashes—and the trauma it wrought on communities throughout Africa, highlighting a complex history. “History is a very essential part of human existence,” Toluwani says in a statement. “It gives us a better understanding of lives lived in the past, better ways to live in the present, and what legacy to leave for the future generations.”

“Dawn Set” (2023), acrylic on textured canvas. 48 x 72.25 inches

Figures play a central role in Toluwani’s works, whether evocative of Dutch Golden Age paintings, such as Johannes Vermeer’s The Milkmaid (c.1660), or laboring within a broader landscape in a cotton field or a fishing boat. The artist has recently been drawn to compositions redolent of Lagos, Nigeria, especially an inner-city slum known as Makoko Village, in which residents build stilt houses over a lagoon. The scarred textures are always present, ranging from recognizable images of spiders, feet, or hearts, to abstract glyphs and geometric shapes.

“Wife of Akenge” (2022), acrylic on textured canvas, 36.02 x 29.92 inches

“Minding One’s Business” (2024), acrylic on textured canvas, 59.5 x 78 inches

“Miss. Omowunmi” (2022), acrylic on textured canvas, 37 x 30 x 1 inches.

Learn more about the artist on Zidoun-Bossoyt Gallery’s website.

150th Kentucky Derby
Today, Saturday, May 5th is also known as the Greatest Two Minutes in Sports! I will be watching. I like to watch horse racing as it reminds me of my (Horse) years in Australia.
I also like the hats!

When Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. launched Louisville’s inaugural Kentucky Derby in 1875, he wanted more than a good horse race. A derby might well be good for the Kentucky horse industry, Clark determined as he watched the races. But a bit of pageantry? That could be good for Kentucky.

Early race fans didn’t disappoint Clark’s hopes for a fashionable display. As fifteen three-year-old Thoroughbreds lined up for the first running of the Kentucky Derby, a crowd of ten thousand wealthy spectators looked on, dressed in crisp suits, voluminous skirts, and feather-studded hats. They came to see and be seen.

1927

The Derby is a milliner’s dream come true, and Louisville hatmakers prepare year-round for the annual deluge of orders. They’ve had especially high demand as Churchill Downs celebrates the Derby’s 150th anniversary on May 4.

A feathered hat made by Derbyologie.

Fierceness, now at 3-1 for the Kentucky Derby

Which reminded me of over a decade ago, when Superman, WonderWoman and good friend, Tamara went to Opening Day at

(San Diego ) where the "turf meets the surf" at the Del Mar Racetrack.

Fans flock to the track each summer to wager on their favorite horses during the popular, annual Del Mar Racetrack racing season, mid-July - early-September.