In a bold testament to Fadojutimi’s principle that her work should serve as vessels for reflection, Bark stands as an early example of the artist’s vibrant “emotional landscapes.”i Much of Fadojutimi’s process is concerned with regarding painting as an act of self-inquisition. The canvas is likened to a reflective surface that allows the artist to consider her own being and the context of her existence. Bark is a highly charged composition that teeters between figurative and abstract, grasping the viewer with its undeniable grace and personality.
While at a glance, the palette is largely dominated by heady washes of pink and purple, the composition is the result of a considered layering of colour that demands a considered gaze. Moments of figurative expression emerge from their nebulous cradles, hinting at landscapes and leafy studies. It is as though Fadojutimi conjures an emotion that is at ease in the fog of a half-remembered day. Whether positive or negative, the inviting colours in fact only aid the work in its ambiguity. What is therefore rendered, is a work that is self-assured within its profoundly personal origin, characterised by a composition that is activated through the pathos of the artist.
“[my works] question the existence of feelings and reactions to daily experiences. They question our perceptions and perspectives whilst manifesting struggles. They recognise a lack of self caused by automatically thinking that my identity is already defined, and also a frustration that paint can accept these characteristics better than myself.”
—Jadé Fadojutimi
Acquired by the current owner directly from the artist in 2017, there can be little doubt that Bark is synonymous with the burgeoning success Fadojutimi has found in a rapidly scaling career. Fadojutimi’s recent works have come to favour more intricately abstract compositions, yet the painterly style and strength of vision exhibited in Bark has remained palpable throughout. As her oeuvre has developed, the artist’s ability to imbue her works with a truly original vibrancy remains consistent. So much so, the current owner commissioned a sister work, Beneath the Petticoat, which stands in conversation with Bark and is a highlight of the 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Auction. It is rare that such clarity of expression across a blossoming career, can be tracked in terms as definitive as this.
The complimentary exchange between the two works in palette and composition, testifies to the artist’s ability to recall a former state of being through an introspective practice. As the works were hung by the owner together, their relationship to one another remained active. Beneath the Petticoat certainly demonstrates Fadojutimi’s adoption of a spiralling depth that purveys in her more recent compositions, yet the arching forms as seen in Bark are transferred. In tandem with a developed yet familiar palette, Beneath the Petticoat acts as a refined conclusion to the sense evoked in Bark. As each work bookends Fadojutimi’s progress, the emotional state of the artist that is invested in Bark radiates sentimentality and connects the viewer with Fadojutimi’s professional and personal growth.
