OSI AUDU

Audu has spent years investigating ideas surrounding human consciousness in Yoruba traditions of Nigeria as well as Western science and philosophy. His new series of sculptural works on view in the gallery are composed of vibrant strands of yarn piercing canvas. The richly textured surfaces are inspired by the phenomenon of goosebumps (also known as piloerection).

Audu has long been fascinated by textured surfaces in the natural world and within the human body such as the papillae (tiny nodules) that carpet the surface of our tongues or the miniscule hairs that line the cochlea in our ears. Most recently he became interested in how emotions or experiences trigger a reflexive response of the sympathetic nervous system resulting in the bristling of hairs. ‘When people are deeply moved, gripped by fear or overwhelmed by beauty, these intangible emotions generate a very physical, tangible expression. My work has always been about what you can’t see, effecting and creating what you can,’ Audu says.

Growing up in Lagos, Audu was highly attuned to the relationship between visible and invisible dimensions of being. This idea of dualism is deeply ingrained in Nigerian culture and daily life. Audu remembers watching Yoruba egungun masquerades in which performers shroud themselves in colorful garments festooned with fabric and yarn. The outfits represent a manifestation of the spirits of departed ancestors and are a means of connecting the living world with a metaphysical spiritual realm.

Although Audu began his practice creating geometric paintings and drawings, it was only natural that he slowly gravitated toward incorporating yarn into his work. In addition to seeing yarn in egungun masquerades festivals throughout his childhood, Audu has vivid memories of watching craftsmen working on wooden looms to create aṣọ òkè, a traditional striped cloth used to make garments for weddings, funerals and religious festivals.

He began creating multimedia works inspired by the tradition of juju (ceremonial offerings to ancestors or members of the spirit world) using black yarn and safety pins. He then started painting head-like forms on canvas exploring the Yoruba idea of an inner head (orí inú) and a physical, external head (orí òde) using patches of black and white yarn to activate certain areas of the canvas.

His current series on view at the gallery marks a new direction in his use of yarn as he takes a purely abstract approach. ‘Abstraction, as a primal, formal language, is indigenous to all the world’s cultures,’ says Audu, whose own work draws from the history of African art where abstract forms are often used to explore spiritual concepts and human consciousness.

For Goosebumps, Audu begins by applying gesso to the surface of the canvas. He then pierces the canvas with a needle and threads through strands of yarn to form broad columns of colour. Finally, he treats the yarn to stiffen each strand so that each protrudes from the surface. The satin sheen of the yarn casts a coloured reflection on the slick surface of the canvas creating a luminous effect. The columns are inspired by aṣọ òkè cloth, but Audu also sees the simple repetitive pattern as having a calming effect on viewers’ minds.

The dimensionality of the canvases coax viewers to examine the work from various angles. Looking at the pieces elicits a visceral reaction. ‘There is almost a feeling of a current of electric energy one gets from gazing at this kind of textured surface,’ says Audu. ‘Art has the potential to take us to places in our psyche that are full of energy—places pulsating with life-affirming energy and joy.’