A Matter of Fact: Toyin Ojih Odutola
Museum of African Diaspora (MoAD), 685 Misson St (at 3rd), San Francisco
October 26, 2016 – April 2, 2017
A Matter of Fact presents a new body of work from Toyin Ojih Odutola (MFA 2012). With vibrant pastel and charcoal drawings developed out of her unique pen ink and pencil style, Ojih Odutola presents a meditation on the expression and constructs of wealth. From a portrait of a mother and daughter enjoying an equestrian afternoon to the commanding presentation of The Marchioness elegantly poised presiding within a mansion, these drawings allow one to recognize wealth, as it exists beyond fact or questioning.
Often with apathetic expressions, the drawings render various characters from the UmuEze Amara Clan, a fictionalized aristocratic family. The creation of space becomes an act of portraiture as the detailed articulation of the rich textiles and elegant furniture perform a certain kind of resolute wealth. However, in this portrayal, Ojih Odutola constructs space for the audience to reevaluate their perceptions and expectations of this wealth as an act of intentional creation.
https://www.moadsf.org/exhibition/a-matter-of-fact-toyin-ojih-odutola/