“I am an emotional creature – an empath, introverted and very sensitive. Most of the time, I struggle to cope with the world as it is. This creates a constant flow of interrogations within me. A part of myself analyses and dissects information whilst the other half just feels intensely. The world wants you to explain and justify yourself, often through words. I am frequently in this state of examination. It comes from the curiosity of my inner child; the innate desire to understand people, to encourage them and to make them feel visible.” These are the words of Djeneba Aduayom, a multi-disciplinary artist whose work is known for its character, style and colour. Aduayom’s photographs are based on empathy and behaviour, drawing on her own personal exploration of complex relationships and human behaviour. Now, the artist exhibits at Galerie Gomis, Brussels, in an exhibition that brings together the work of four other distinct voices — Bettina Pittaluga, David Uzochukwu, Mar+Vin and Gleeson Paulino. Laws of Nature: A Harmonious Symphony of Artistic Expression, is a show that highlights our relationship to the environment, examining our dependence on nature as well as its symbolic role in the patterns and synchronicities of the everyday.
Aduayom began her life as a performer, having toured around the world as a backup dancer for artists. Although the artist stopped dancing, unable to continue her career due to an injury, she was able to find another outlet for her love of movement and form. As a photographer, her work bears an exacting, fluid quality that feels timeless. It’s a style that has seen her rise to international acclaim, having worked with Time Magazine and Vogue, alongside international exhibitions at Fotografiska, Sweden, and Saatchi Gallery, London. Galerie Gomis hosts The Fabric of You (2021), a series that explores light, shadow and powerful visual landscapes. Colourful spheres pass between hands. Figures in blue capes bask in sunlight. Yarns of red and pink thread glisten against an emerald sky. Aduayom creates a vivid, textured world that takes inspiration from her own multi-cultural heritage, combining her African, French and Italian backgrounds.
The show also displays the work of Brazilian image maker Gleeson Paulino. The artist, who featured in Issue 114 of Aesthetica, brings a rich and evocative collection of photographs. His series Batismo (2019) focuses on the significance of water, recognising the element as a tributary to life and rebirth. In one image titled Alvorado (Dawn), a figure is positioned face-down in a pool of dark water, hair streaming down their back. Paulino’s series is a tribute to his native Brazil, a country he left to go to Vienna when he was 17. The artist explains his strict Evangelical upbringing, alongside his decision to leave, “Photography allowed me to escape my reality. I felt caged for many years, inside of this religion. I never had a chance to actually get to know Brazil.” He adds, “Reflecting back over the images that had drawn me in, I noticed the emerging pattern that connected so many of my photographs – freshwater. That’s where the series name came from. A new Baptism.” Moments of solitude echo across the work, evoking the intimate and sensual worlds of Nadine Ijewere, as well as the dream-like landscapes of Polina Washington and Eric Asamoah. Together, Aduayom and Paulino are proving themselves as names to watch in the industry, as they engage in a powerful visual abstraction that understands what it means to be in touch with the world around us.
Laws of Nature: A Harmonious Symphony of Artistic Expression | Until 20 January 2024
Image Credits:
1. © Djeneba Aduayom “Untitled II”, Adhel, 2021
2. © Djeneba Aduayom “Untitled 2”, The fabric Of You, 2021
3. © Djeneba Aduayom “Untitled 3”, The Fabric Of You, 2021
4. Images Courtesy of Gleeson Paulino.
