In this body of work, Bukola Samuel Orioye reimagines African figurines as living, contemporary beings; human forms through which ancestral presence is both remembered and renewed. These figures, at times adorned in modern garments and at other times rendered in serene simplicity, embody a dynamic tension between tradition and transformation. Their duality mirrors the evolving continuum of lineage, where the past is not a distant origin but an active force shaping the present and forecasting the future.
By clothing ancestral forms in contemporary fashion, Orioye collapses temporal boundaries, proposing an uninterrupted flow of identity across generations. This gesture positions the ancestral not as relic, but as possibility an ever-present guide in the ongoing negotiation of culture, spirituality, and being. The work becomes a site where history is not only revisited but reimagined, offering a speculative lens through which to view what we inherit and what we might become.
Nature emerges as a vital interlocutor in this visual discourse. The florals that crown or accompany these figures are more than ornamental motifs; they signify renewal, interdependence, and the cyclical vitality of life. Their presence affirms the deep ecological consciousness embedded within ancestral knowledge systems, an understanding that human flourishing is indivisible from the health of the natural world. In an era marked by environmental crisis, these works recall the ecological wisdom of our forebears and foreground it as essential guidance for contemporary climate stewardship.
Through Figurines, Orioye invites a contemplative encounter with ancestry, identity, and the environment. The series becomes a meditation on memory and care, urging viewers to consider how ancestral wisdom might inform our evolving relationship with the earth. It is a journey of cultural continuity and ecological reflection, a testament to the enduring spirit of a people and the living world that sustains them.
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