Affection XI (Power of Object series)

For those who are in a wishful mind, the “Affection” series are wish makers in their various combinations.

The objects represented in the Affection series are organic and inorganic “Beings.”  Just like human beings are born to Earth naked, the objects depicted in the “Affection” series are clothed in fiber strings, structured in the tightness bound of time.   As human beings start to grow, these objects are fed.  As human beings start to blossom in acquired experiences, the objects too start to blossom in their being.

The innate nature of human beings are encompassed by these object series.  The more the objects are touched by the artist, the more they grow.  The objects have a commanding power of the artist’s male and female essence. They are like an embalmed pharaoh that will stay for thousands of years, outliving the maker. Like a child that doesn’t walk, needing to be carried, these objects possess the power of human Wish.  They have a command of space and of the eyes and mind that they are interacting.

Affection is of an effect of “Wish.” The combination of this series can be used to “affect” an environment, life, or collection. Counterweights of destruction, they are flowerings of peace, good wishes, and goodwill.  “Affection” is of adornment and Sacred Beautification for any space or collection.  In various combinations, they embody the power of objects.

These works are available for limited time to be collected together in various combinations.  

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Olabayo David Olaniyi is an academically and philosophically-imbued artist with one foot in traditional arts and the other in Western know-how. He creates art objects of power based on his unique philosophy “Life is a Performance.” He currently lives and works in the United States of America, bridging four realities – sacred, physical, old, and new – in an artform unique to him. He has a vast skillset of talents, including architectural, interior, and stage design, visual and performance art. His artful thought process makes him a valuable asset to any field or project he embarks on and any community he encounters.

Olabayo received his BFA from the College of Santa Fe in 1993 and his MA/MFA from the University of Iowa in 2002. He has been an artist-in-resident at the National Black Theatre in Harlem and at the University of Michigan, where he developed the artistic philosophy, “Life is a Performance.” He has exhibited, performed and conducted art workshops across the nation, artfully transforming every community he encounters. His art objects are in many prestigious private and public collections, including the New Mexico Governor’s office, the Smithsonian Institute and the University of Iowa Museum of Art.

Olabayo David Olaniyi was born in 1970 in Oshogbo, Nigeria, a city renown worldwide for arts and culture. His parents are two of Africa’s most prominent artists, Chief Prince Twin Seven Seven, the UNESCO 2005 “Artist for Peace,” and Chief Nike Davies Okundaye, renown 4th generation fiber-artist who currently owns and operates the largest art gallery in West Africa, Nike Art Centre located in Lagos, Nigeria. Growing up around a variety of traditionally-skilled artisans, craftspeople, and musicians, Olabayo absorbed and mastered a variety of mediums including woodcarving, beading, fiber art, weaving, drumming and theatre.

Olabayo studies and emphasizes the role objects play in daily performances relative to time and space. His in-depth understanding and unrivaled mastery of material births museum-quality art objects and collectibles employing a dynamic set of talents ranging from metalsmithing, wood/stone carving, painting, bead mosaics and digital art fused with today’s technology.