Breach
About
Nathaniel Bolarinwa
Nigerian, b. 1998.
Bolarinwa’s vivid paintings capture the optimism and vibrant perspective of youth. His visions are portraiture, almost abstract-photographic, with bold lines that appear out-of-focus behind figures in crisp textural detail. The artist utilizes his medium to emphasize the tactile quality of his subjects’ skin. Replacing flesh with tree bark and branches, his characters represent a reincarnation of the soul. Evoking the afterlife, Bolarinwa immortalizes his people by metamorphosizing them into botanical beings. As he states, “I believe plants and humans share almost the same similarities such as respiration, movement, reproduction, uniqueness, beauty and death”. His figures are unusual yet familiar, as they portray a contemporary sensibility of humanity whilst resplendent in arboreal form.
Nigerian, b. 1998.
Bolarinwa’s vivid paintings capture the optimism and vibrant perspective of youth. His visions are portraiture, almost abstract-photographic, with bold lines that appear out-of-focus behind figures in crisp textural detail. The artist utilizes his medium to emphasize the tactile quality of his subjects’ skin. Replacing flesh with tree bark and branches, his characters represent a reincarnation of the soul. Evoking the afterlife, Bolarinwa immortalizes his people by metamorphosizing them into botanical beings. As he states, “I believe plants and humans share almost the same similarities such as respiration, movement, reproduction, uniqueness, beauty and death”. His figures are unusual yet familiar, as they portray a contemporary sensibility of humanity whilst resplendent in arboreal form.
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