Vivid painter Tunji Adeniyi-Jones explores how travel and movement has impacted Black experience in his first UK solo show.
Tunji Adeniyi-Jones takes inspiration from West African mythology and traditions, and specifically his Yoruban heritage, to produce vibrant painted works that sit somewhere between realism and abstraction. His works are recognisable by the artist’s fascination with patterns, shapes, colour and the body in motion.
He is particularly inspired by the painter and sculptor Ben Enwonwu (1917-1994), often regarded as one of the most influential African artists of the 20th century and known for his expertise in painting fluid figures. Three works by Ben Enwonwu will be displayed in the exhibition, demonstrating the huge influence his work has had on Adeniyi-Jones’ own practice.
The exhibition also examines parallels between the work of Tunji Adeniyi-Jones and avant-garde painter Duncan Grant (1885-1978), whose early experiments with abstraction were scandalising to the art world at the time. The exhibition Duncan Grant: 1920 will run alongside this exhibition until March 2022 – your ticket to Tunji Adeniyi-Jones: Astral Reflections includes entry to Duncan Grant: 1920.
