Tunji Adeniyi-Jones

Morán Morán presents Tunji Adeniyi-Jones’  first solo exhibition in Mexico City, titled Tranquil Dive, which presents his most recent paintings on canvas and paper.

The works in this exhibition veer toward a warmer palette and expansive compositions that measure figure and ground equally so that the narrative becomes further veiled. His stylized aesthetic is still prominent and his figures remain androgynous, at one with their lushly dense landscape, yet in this series the perspective has shifted.

Adeniyi-Jones images his multiple protagonists as if seen from above (or below, depending on interpretation). The effect of seeing a figure’s upturned face, shoulders, and arms emerging through thick vegetation implies levitation. In addition to the artist’s Yoruban foundation of imagery, there is a nod in these works to the fantastical patterns associated with the Arts and Crafts movement which aimed to combine human ingenuity with nature’s spectacle to forward a vision of utopia.

With this “diving” series, the artist also experiments with washes and marks that introduce levity and looseness to his typically mannered images. Inspired by his time spent in Mexico City, as well as the cultural masterworks he encountered, with this exhibition Adeniyi-Jones pays homage to Mexico’s historical mural tradition alongside his own cultural heritage.

— Morán Morán

Photo: Ramiro Chaves, WhiteBalanceMX