THE image of a drowned Syrian boy shocked Aberdeen-based artist Ade Adesina so much, he felt drawn to reflect the migrant crisis in his new body of work.
The tragic death in 2015 of three-year-old Alan Kurdi made headlines across the world and became a symbol of all the Syrian children who lost their lives trying to escape their war torn country.
Adesina, whose new exhibition opens in Edinburgh this weekend, told the Sunday National: “Like many people, I was deeply affected by the image of Syrian boy Alan Kurdi whose body was recovered from a Turkish beach. This body of work unites themes of migration with wider global political and environmental events.”
He said he wanted to create work that “makes people think”.
“There might be an element that catches your eye and as you look deeper, you are drawn into the artwork,” he said. “I’ve been experimenting with as many processes as possible so I am excited to see how they sit alongside each other and contribute to an impactful show.”
Objects, places and scenes from Adesina’s African heritage also feature in the exhibition which runs until November 10 and is part of this year’s Edinburgh Art Festival.
Described as one of the most dynamic and accomplished practitioners of original printmaking in the UK today, Adesina was born in Nigeria in 1980 and studied printmaking at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen. He is a Royal Scottish Academician and member of the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Arts.
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A painter, printer and sculptor, he has been recognised by the French Académie des Beaux-Arts with the Mario Avati Engraving Prize and his Edinburgh show is ahead of a landmark exhibition of his work in Paris.
For the new show at Edinburgh Printmakers, Adesina is embracing colour on a large scale for the first time, and there are works in linocut, woodcut, screenprint and lithograph alongside sculptural installations.
One of the pieces is a tribute to his home city, Aberdeen, called Under The Grey Sky.
Edinburgh Printmakers’ chief executive, Janet Archer, said that in a time of global turmoil, Adesina’s work was “vital, accessible and engaging, showcasing the possibility and versatility of printmaking”.
She added: “Ade’s singular unconventional printmaking style has been captivating those lucky enough to see his work since he graduated in 2012. As an artist of international renown, we’re thrilled that he has used this solo exhibition to develop his practice further, experimenting with colour and different printmaking techniques.
“We’re delighted to be in a position to show Ade’s work in Gallery One whilst also hosting fellow British Nigerian artist Tayo Adekunle in Gallery Two. While both artists bring different areas of focus and printmaking styles, their thought-provoking work promises to be some of the highlights of this year’s Edinburgh Art Festival.”
Adekunle is a photographer and Edinburgh College of Art graduate who uses her art to explore issues surrounding race, gender and sexuality, as well as racial and colonial history.
Her work is centred on the reworking of historical tropes relating to the black female body, taking from contexts that include historical paintings and sculptures as well as 19th-century colonial photography.
Named by the British Journal of Photography as “one to watch” in 2021, Adekunle’s work has recently been exhibited at the Southbank Centre, London Art Fair and the Royal Scottish Academy.
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Her new exhibition, Stories Of The Unseen, takes a look at the stories of black culture, re-examining and challenging narratives that have been told throughout history.
As well as delving into the fetishisation of black women’s bodies, she reflects on the importance of preserving heritage and tradition, using examples from the effect that Western colonisation has had on Nigeria. Her work references key points of African history such as the division of Africa in the Berlin Conference of 1884, and the demonisation of the orisha Èsù, a divine spirit of the Yoruba religion of West Africa.
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