Tunji Adeniyi-Jones
Nightfall, 2018
Oil on canvas
71 x 79 inches
© Tunji Adeniyi-Jones. Photo: Gene Ogami.
Sensual, swirling, and spiritual, the bodies and forms depicted in Tunji Adeniyi-Jones’ Nightfall are derived from West Africa and the Yoruba people. The whirling figures are rooted in Adeniyi-Jones’ Yoruba...
Sensual, swirling, and spiritual, the bodies and forms depicted in Tunji Adeniyi-Jones’ Nightfall are derived from West Africa and the Yoruba people. The whirling figures are rooted in Adeniyi-Jones’ Yoruba heritage as well as Yoruba mythology. The painting, with its energetic flow, mimics the important Yoruba concept of ache or ashe, which is the divine energy that runs through all things living and non-living. First described Adeniyi-Jones as the quiet storm ⎯ a storm of creative energy that transforms his artworks from flat representations to scenes with depth, both literal and figurative, that seem to break free of the canvas and emerge into our world with an energetic visual power. Adeniyi-Jones is also influenced by the works of Henri Matisse and many Cubist artists. The artist is represented by White Cube, Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, and Morán Morán.