This contemporary artwork features a striking, contorted nude figure depicted in a distorted, surreal manner. The colors are predominantly warm hues of oranges and reds, creating a visceral, emotive quality. The bold, angular composition and blurred, fragmented style suggest a sense of unease and psychological tension. The subject matter appears to be a solitary human form in a contemplative, vulnerable pose, hinting at themes of introspection and the human condition. The artist's distinctive modernist technique and stylistic approach contribute to the overall unsettling yet captivating nature of this thought-provoking piece. ...
Okiki Akinfe reimagines the conventional archive through a Black lens, challenging stereotypes and centering Black experiences. Her practice explores the interplay between visibility and invisibility, placing Black figures in non-social, non-geographical spaces that exist on their own terms and in their own time. This approach creates a world-building effect, where the figures rest in the perseverance of time, free from external societal constructs. Akinfe's work delves into the social body language of archetypal behaviors, questioning how these projections are displayed and subverted. Influenced by Carl Jung's theory of the Animus Projection, her paintings comment on the creation of space within her practice to provide independent existence. The environmental landscapes in her works serve as characters themselves, reflecting human behavior and psyche. Her paintings become both portal and provocation, inviting viewers into a world where identity and belonging are explored through a nuanced and layered lens. Akinfe constructs visual narratives that investigate memory, personal experience, and cultural references, offering a contemplative space for examining the politics of everyday life. ...
The Approach is co-directed by Jake Miller and Emma Robertson. Located in Bethnal Green above The Approach Tavern, for over twenty years it has operated an internationally recognised programme from its East London base. The gallery is known for discovering artists and establishing their careers as well as making inter-generational curated group shows a strong focus. The list of represented artists includes the Estates of important overlooked female artists Heidi Bucher and Maria Pinińska Bereś, as well as seminal British collage artist John Stezaker, together with established and emerging artists including Magali Reus, Peter Davies, Lisa Oppenheim, Sandra Mujinga, Pam Evelyn, Sara Cwynar, Sam Windett and Caitlin Keogh. Over the years the gallery has operated parallel programmes in additional gallery spaces in London’s West End (The Approach W1) and in Shoreditch (The Reliance). The gallery is currently based solely in its original East End location and continues to expand its programme, showcasing its represented artists in the main gallery space, and both represented and non-represented artists in The Annexe, a smaller, more experimental space at the back of the building. ...
